A TOTAL of 50,783 people have been reported dead in the twin earthquakes that hit Turkey in February, the country’s interior minister said yesterday.

Anadolu Agency reported Suleyman Soylu telling CNN Turk: “There are currently 297 applications for missing persons. Eighty-six of the missing are children. Others are adults.”

He said the number of migrants who lost their lives is 7,302.

Identification for 985 bodies is still underway, said Soylu.

He said DNA samples were taken from the applicants from Idlib, Afrin, Jarablus, Azez and Mare during the identification process.

“Not all of these 985 are citizens of Turkey. There are also foreigners among them. There are those who live alone. There are those who have no relatives. That’s why there are some cases we couldn’t get DNA from,” he said.

Soylu also said the process of removing debris has almost been completed.

“Of 57,000 wrecks, 50,000 have been removed in 11 regions. Most of them are in Hatay,” he said.

“All the buildings to be demolished have been cleared. Within 10 days, we will begin the demolition of heavily damaged buildings.” – Bernama, April 23, 2023.