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The death toll in Turkey due to the earthquakes that hit 11 provinces in the south-east of the country on February 6 has risen to 43,556, authorities reported today.
The previous balance pointed to 42,310.
Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said that in Hatay province, the hardest hit by the earthquake, people were still found under the rubble of some buildings.
According to Soylu, who described the quake as “the biggest in the world”, 600,000 homes were destroyed.
The minister said that the authorities had identified half a thousand builders, allegedly responsible for constructions that did not comply with anti-seismic safety standards. Around 160 people were arrested.
The February 6th earthquake, with its epicenter in Turkish territory, and which was followed by several aftershocks, left more than 44,000 dead and 100,000 injured in Turkey and Syria.
*With Lusa
