Turkey begins to rebuild for 1.5 million left homeless by earthquakes

FILE PHOTO: A man carries a sofa out of a destroyed apartment building in the aftermath of the deadly earthquake in Antakya, Hatay province, Turkey, February 20, 2023. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez

ANTAKYA/ANKARA, Turkey (Reuters) -Turkey has begun work to rebuild homes following this month's devastating earthquakes, a government official said on Friday, as the combined death toll in Turkey and Syria surpassed 50,000.

More than 160,000 buildings containing 520,000 apartments collapsed or were severely damaged in the Feb. 6 earthquakes that killed tens of thousands in Turkey and neighbouring Syria.