42,000 buildings collapsed or in need of demolition

42,000 buildings collapsed or in need of demolition
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Turkish Urbanization Minister Murat Kurum said that search and rescue operations have been completed in 1306 wrecks but continue in 18 others

42,000 buildings had either collapsed, were in urgent need of demolition, or severely damaged across 10 cities in Turkey, which was badly hit last week with massive twin earthquakes, Turkish Urbanization Minister Murat Kurum said.

Kurum said that the death toll in Antep alone is 3,729 and the number of citizens rescued from the rubble by search and rescue efforts is 15,010.

"Currently, we are conducting search and rescue operations in 18 wrecks. Search and rescue operations have been completed in 1306 wrecks," Kurum said.

A boy and a man were rescued in hard-hit Kahramanmaras early on Tuesday, 198 hours after the 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck on Feb. 6.

Elsewhere in Kahramanmaras, rescuers were attempting to reach a grandmother, mother and daughter, all from one family, who appeared to have survived the quake and aftershock that killed more than 37,000 in Turkey and Syria.

Kurum said the government has built container cities in Islahiye and Nurdagi.

"So far, we have surveyed 307,763 buildings. 41.791 of them are either demolished, in urgent need of demolition or severely damaged," he said. "This is equivalent to about 190,172 homes and workplaces," he said.