Thursday marks two months since major earthquakes hit southern Turkey.

Construction of public housing is underway for people who have lost their homes. But about 2.5 million people are still living in tents.

The February 6 quakes killed about 50,000 people in Turkey and around 6,000 in neighboring Syria.

In Turkey, more than 50,000 buildings were destroyed or will have to be demolished.

Only 70,000 people were able to find shelter in shipping containers converted into temporary housing.

The Turkish government says it plans to complete building public housing units for about 320,000 households within a year.

In the southern province of Hatay, one of the hardest-hit areas, work to remove rubble is continuing.

In the Mediterranean coastal city of Iskenderun, heavy machinery has been employed to dismantle buildings. People can be seen searching the rubble for items belonged to deceased family members.

Affected areas are facing the challenges of securing housing for survivors, removing wreckage and restoring water and other infrastructure.

A 20-year-old evacuee in the city, who is seven months pregnant, told NHK that there is an acute shortage of makeshift toilets, and she is worried about catching infectious diseases.

A 31-year-old woman said she wants to move into a container as tents get wet in the rain, get blown away in winds and are too hot to be in during the day.