ANKARA, March 18. /TASS/. The number of victims of the devastating earthquakes that rocked Turkey in February rose to almost 49,600, of whom 6,800 were foreigners, Vice-President Fuat Oktay told the media on Saturday.

"As a result of the earthquakes in Kahramanmaras province, 49,589 people died; 6,807 them were foreign nationals," he said.

A powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake rocked Turkey’s Kahramanmaras province, located in the country’s southeast, on February 6. The tremors, followed by hundreds of aftershocks, were felt in eleven provinces as well as in neighboring countries, including Syria.

The total damage from the disaster, according to a report released by the Turkish Treasury on Friday, exceeded $105 billion. Material losses may reach 9% of the country's forecast 2023 GNP.