Turkey quake death toll hits 58

ANKARA

The death toll from Friday's earthquake in Turkey’s Aegean region has risen to 58, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced Sunday.

At least 920 people were also wounded in the magnitude-6.6 quake that struck Izmir, Turkey's third largest city.

"We are determined to heal the wounds of our brothers and sisters in Izmir, who are affected by the earthquake, before cold weather and rains start," he told a meeting of the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party in the Black Sea province of Samsun.

Earlier, the president said new houses will be built for those whose homes have been destroyed "as soon as possible."

As many as 104 people have been rescued from under the debris, while search and rescue activities still continue.

Some 702 victims have so far been discharged from hospitals, while eight remain in intensive care units, according to Health Minister Fahrettin Koca.

The Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency said there have been 902 aftershocks with 42 stronger than magnitude-4.0 as of 14.00 a.m. local time (1100GMT).

Turkey is among the world's most seismically active zones as it is situated on several active fault lines. It has suffered devastating earthquakes in the past as well.