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. The Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) announced the death toll in Turkey due to earthquakes rose to 44,218 on Friday night. With Syria's latest announced death toll of 5,914, the combined death toll in the two countries rose to above 50,000. The UNDP said it estimated that the destruction has left 1.5 million people homeless, with 500,000 new homes needed. The UNDP estimates that the disaster had produced between 116 million and 210 million tons of rubble, compared with 13 million tons of rubble after the earthquake in northwest Turkey in 1999.
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