More than 47,000 people have been confirmed dead following the recent devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.

The magnitude 7.8 quake on February 6 and ensuing powerful tremors left at least 41,156 people dead in Turkey and 5,914 in Syria.

More than one million people who were left homeless by the quakes are sheltering in tents or other temporary structures.

In the southern Turkish city of Nurdagi, near the epicenter, shipping containers have been repurposed into 100 temporary housing units. On Monday, 20 evacuee households moved in.

Construction is also underway for a makeshift market, clinic and educational facility in a nearby area.

A woman moving into a temporary housing unit along with her parents and two other family members said she was grateful for the chance to live there. She said it was cold in the tent and that using a stove for heating was dangerous.

Turkish authorities are quickly building more units for evacuees, but said the process will take time.

nhk