Death toll from powerful twin earthquakes in Turkey rises to 43,556

Death toll from earthquakes in Turkey rises to 43,556: Interior minister

Suleyman Soylu makes remarks during live broadcast with TRT Haber in Hatay

The death toll from the powerful Feb. 6 earthquakes in southern Türkiye has risen to 43,556, Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said Wednesday.

The minister said it required a certain period of time to respond when faced with 26,000 collapsed homes during the first hours, and the earthquakes hit an area covering 110,000 square kilometers (42,471 square miles).

The powerful tremors were centered in Kahramanmaras and shook 10 other provinces -- Hatay, Gaziantep, Adiyaman, Malatya, Adana, Diyarbakir, Kilis, Osmaniye, Sanliurfa and Elazig.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Türkiye will begin constructing more than 200,000 homes as early as March in areas devastated by the earthquakes and complete the process within one year.