Live updates: Earthquake death toll in Türkiye and Syria surpasses 50,000

Turkish authorities have said preliminary work has started to build housing for people left homeless by the massive earthquakes that hit parts of the country and neighbouring Syria on February 6, killing tens of thousands.

Death toll reached 44,218, Türkiye's disaster management agency AFAD said on Friday, as relief efforts continue to assist people affected by the disaster. 

AFAD said the quakes, centred in the Kahramanmaras province, were followed by 9,136 aftershocks.

The twin quakes have left more than 5,800 people dead in Syria. In total, the fatalities from both countries have surpassed 50,000.

Here is how you can help the earthquake victims.

Following are the latest updates:

1230 GMT — Argentine rescue team hailed by Türkiye envoy

Turkish Ambassador to Argentina Suleyman Omur Budak has paid tribute to the 28-member search and rescue team, which undertook important humanitarian work in Türkiye.

"Their service makes us recall the importance of solidarity, their human action is an example for all. They are true heroes," said Budak flanking Argentina's security Minister Anibal Fernandez at the main headquarter of Argentine police in the capital Buenos Aires.

"Argentina will always have a special place in our hearts for having come to our aid," Budak said.

One of the team members, Daniel Iglesias, described the "anguish" following the recovery of 50 bodies under rubble in southern Türkiye.

Mexican footballer who plays for Besiktas club collects funds for victims 

Sofia Alvarez has launched an initiative through social media to raise funds for the quake victims by auctioning off tops of various famous footballers.

Alvarez arrived in Türkiye before the earthquakes and described the idea of getting shirts from all around the world and auctioning them.

She has reportedly raised more than $10,877 and is providing homes through TECHO foundation to five families who lost their properties during the twin quakes.

1800 GMT — 'We stick together always': Bella Hadid

US supermodel and activist Bella Hadid has delivered humanitarian aid for Turkish earthquake victims during her visit to Turkevi Center in New York City.

After arriving at the Turkish house in lower Manhattan, Hadid met with Reyhan Ozgur, Türkiye's consul general in New York, and told volunteers at the site, "We're so happy to help you in any way you need."

"We stick together always," she said, adding she will return on additional visits.

Ozgur presented Hadid with Turkish delight from Izmir and invited her to visit Türkiye.

1750 GMT – Turkish president expresses gratitude to French counterpart for solidarity

The Turkish president has expressed gratitude to his French counterpart for his solidarity with Türkiye over the devastating February 6 earthquakes that hit the country's southern region.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan "thanked Emmanuel Macron for France’s solidarity and support" with Türkiye in a video conference, while Macron conveyed his condolences.

During the meeting, the two leaders discussed the relations between Türkiye and France, the presidency added.

1613 GMT – German rock band Die Toten Hosen to hold benefit concert for quake-hit Türkiye, Syria

German rock band Die Tote Hosen will hold a benefit concert for earthquake victims in Türkiye and Syria under the motto "Three chords for your donation!" in front of 10,500 visitors on Friday evening. 

"We are deeply touched by the suffering of the people there and are thinking especially of those of our fellow citizens who are anxious and grieving for their friends and relatives in the affected areas," wrote Die Toten Hosen on their homepage.

The band spontaneously decided to hold the benefit concert after the earthquakes struck Türkiye and Syria.

Die Tote Hosen hopes the concert will raise a total of €1 million ($1.05 million) for the donation. €600,000 ($635,000) has already been raised through ticket sales, with additional revenue expected to come from T-shirt sales and donations.

1555 GMT – Algeria ‘standing firm alongside with Türkiye’ in post-quake period: Envoy

Algeria is “standing firm alongside with Türkiye” in the aftermath of the February 6 earthquakes that hit the country's southern region, the Algerian ambassador to Ankara said.

Speaking to Anadolu, Sofiane Mimouni said that the two countries share a history, great relationship, and bond.

Mimouni said Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune was among the first to express condolences to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan following the 7.7 and 7.6 magnitude earthquakes.

“He (Tebboune) reiterated his sincere condolences following this devastating earthquake, and expressed solidarity with Türkiye and affirm that Algeria will stand by Türkiye during this difficult time,” said Mimouni.

1546 GMT – Drawings by children in Switzerland to be delivered to Turkish peers in quake zone

Drawings by a group of children in Switzerland will be delivered to their peers in Türkiye's quake-affected regions, according to the Turkish consul general in Geneva.

Ipek Zeytinoglu Ozkan told Anadolu that under the leadership of the Japan-based Kids Earth Fund, a group of children in Geneva, including Japanese kids, painted to support their peers in Türkiye.

The founder of the fund, Harumi Torii, delivered about 15 of the drawings to Ozkan.

Torii, who went to the earthquake region to convey the pictures to the children in Türkiye, said they made a similar initiative after the Golcuk quake in the country and said: "We will always be in cooperation and solidarity with the Turks."

Torri and his entourage also donated sleeping bags and tents for quake zones.

1450 GMT – Türkiye begins to rebuild for 1.5 mn left homeless by earthquakes

Türkiye has begun initial work to rebuild homes following this month's devastating earthquakes, a government official said.

The Turkish government's initial plan is to build 200,000 apartments and 70,000 village houses at a cost of at least $15 billion. US bank JPMorgan has estimated rebuilding houses and infrastructure will cost $25 billion.

The UNDP said it estimated the destruction has left 1.5 million people homeless, with 500,000 new homes needed.

The agency said it had requested $113.5 million from the $1 billion in funds appealed for by the UN last week, adding that it would focus the money on clearing away mountains of rubble.

1441 GMT – Lebanon affirms solidarity with Türkiye amid quake disaster

Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bouhabib expressed his country's solidarity with Türkiye after the massive earthquakes. 

Bouhabib stated that he is paying a visit to Türkiye alongside Lebanese Minister of Public Affairs and Transport Ali Hamie, expressing their condolences due to the disaster caused by the earthquakes.

"We are here to pay condolences. It's a sad occasion, but we are happy to be in Türkiye because we feel that Türkiye is a friendly country and an ally of Lebanon," Bouhabib told Anadolu.

Bouhabib stated that they met with a number of Turkish officials, especially Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, in the capital Ankara.

1431 GMT – Japan operating its biggest overseas medical mission in quake-hit Türkiye, says official

Japan is operating its history’s biggest overseas medical mission in Türkiye hit hard by two massive earthquakes, a senior official from the country said.

“It is the first time for the Japanese government to set up Type-II hospital which among other capacities can conduct surgical operation and can accept patients for night stay,” Takeshi Ishihara, the leader of around 70 medical and paramedical Japanese staff, told Anadolu.

The team, almost half of which are females, includes doctors, nurses, paramedics, and logistics staff.

1408 GMT – Foreign students in Türkiye rush to quake-hit Kilis province to provide aid

International students studying at Turkish institutions have volunteered to assist earthquake victims in southeastern Kilis after powerful earthquakes shook the region earlier this month.

Aisyatur Radhian, one of the volunteers helping with aid classification at the Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH), told Anadolu that she is Indonesian and a third-year student at Istanbul University's Theology Department.

"I strive to perform whatever task is assigned to me. I want to stay here for at least another five days," she added.

"We came to Kilis to help the victims and provide psychological support to the youngsters," said Haitian Esperancia Joseph, a student at Istanbul Gelisim University's Department of International Business and Commerce.

"Our international students have been studying in Türkiye for a long time and have actively participated in our courses. Our friends also assisted us in the field during the recent flood calamity in Kastamonu," Betul Dede, the university coordinator of the association, added.

1347 GMT – Azerbaijan with brotherly Türkiye in good, bad times, rescuers say

Azerbaijan stands by brotherly Türkiye in good and bad times, Azerbaijani rescuers have said as they continue their relentless efforts to ease the suffering caused by recent earthquakes in Türkiye.

"We are always with you our brotherly country," Mais Aliyev, a first lieutenant with Azerbaijan's Emergency Situations Ministry, told Anadolu in Hatay.

"We were in Kahramanmaras from the first day of the earthquake. After staying there for 11 days, on February 17 we came to Hatay."

Personnel from several countries came to Türkiye to help with search and rescue efforts. While many have since returned, Azerbaijanis say they will stay till all operations come to a close. 

Besides sending 867 rescuers and medical personnel to the quake-hit region, Azerbaijan dispatched 15 planes, 395 trucks and a train of 25 containers carrying humanitarian aid supplies.

1055 GMT – 28 nations set up 31 field hospitals in Türkiye's quake-hit southern region

A total of 28 countries have set up 31 field hospitals in southern Türkiye after powerful earthquakes shook the region earlier this month, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said.

A total of 109,574 tents, 246 living containers, and 1,500 mobile hygiene units have been brought to Türkiye with the coordination of foreign representatives, according to a graphic the ministry shared on Twitter.

In-kind aid supplies delivered to the disaster zone include nearly 1.5 million blankets, along with 211,839 sleeping bags, 80,824 beds, 26,622 generators, 5,928 tons of clothing, 3,222 tons of hygienic medical supplies and 5,746 tons of food, it added.

1040 GMT — Türkiye thanks Iraq's Kurdish Regional Government for earthquake relief 

Türkiye's Consul General to Erbil Mevlut Yakut has paid a thank-you visit to the Barzani Relief Foundation for its relief efforts in southern Türkiye amid the Kahramanmaras-centred earthquakes. 

Consul General Yakut said in a press conference that more than 100 countries offered help to Türkiye after the earthquake disaster. "This shows how many friends Türkiye has," he noted. 

Yakut said, "One of the quickest help providers was the Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) and the people of the region." 

Yakut emphasised that everyone in the KRG region is trying to contribute their best in helping earthquake victims, noting, "One of the most important supporters was the Barzani Charity Foundation." 

"The foundation sent aid teams to Türkiye, provided food aid, set up tents, and supported search and rescue activities. We thank them very much," he added.

0650 GMT — Pakistan rescue team calls for international efforts in post-quake rehabilitation 

Pakistan's search and rescue team has expressed solidarity with the people of Türkiye and urged the international community to step forward and assist the country. 

"The level of destruction is beyond the capacity of one country," Major Mateen, leader of a 33-member Urban Search and Rescue team with Pakistan Army, told reporters, moments before flying back home after a 17-day operation in southeastern Adiyaman province. 

Lauding the Turkish government and civil administration for "managing" the quake aftermaths situation "very well," he said: "But due to the destruction level, the international community should come forward and help these people. They really need your help."

0535 GMT — Post-quake climate offers space to resume dialogue with Türkiye: Greek FM 

The climate that emerged following the February 6 earthquakes in Türkiye allows Athens to restart its dialogue with Ankara, the Greek foreign minister has said. 

"For me, the main task right now is not finding solutions, it is protecting the (positive) climate," Nikos Dendias told Greece's Skai TV, underlining that now a positive climate is prevailing in bilateral relations thanks to contributions by both parties. 

"I want to stick to the positive part: that at the moment, there is an excellent climate. Within this climate, I think unified approaches to extremely difficult issues can be built." 

0515 GMT — Turkish embassy in Kuwait continues bringing home quake donations

The Turkish Embassy in Kuwait has said that it continues to deliver humanitarian assistance collected within the framework of the aid campaign it organised for those affected by the twin earthquakes in Türkiye. 

A statement regarding the aid was made on the embassy's Twitter account. 

"We continue to deliver the in-kind aid collected within the framework of our Embassy's campaign for our citizens affected by the earthquake to our country," it said. "We express our gratitude to our citizens and friends in Kuwait for their support." 

Hundreds of tonnes of aid materials have been collected so far during the campaign, which has attracted great interest. 

Shipment of the collected materials via Turkish Airlines began on February 11. A total of 177 tons of aid materials were brought in on various flights. It was announced that the remaining aid would be sent at various time intervals.

For our live updates from Thursday (February 23), click here.