Large numbers of evacuees displaced by the devastating earthquakes that rocked Turkey and Syria are still unable to return to their homes, one month after the first major quake hit the region.

The magnitude 7.8 quake on February 6 and ensuing powerful tremors left some 52,000 people dead -- about 46,000 in Turkey and 6,000 in Syria.

On the one-month anniversary of the quakes, residents in the hard-hit southern province of Kahramanmaras were seen visiting a local cemetery to pay tribute to their loved ones.

Among them was a man who lost his 9-year-old son and 6-year-old daughter in the quakes, who was rubbing the tomb while shedding tears.

His brother said they often came here to pray, and that he doesn't want an earthquake to happen again.

Another man said the quakes killed many acquaintances, including the family of a close friend. He said he survived this time, but that nobody knows what will happen next. He added that many people are in need of aid.

The Turkish government says more than 200,000 buildings have collapsed or been damaged badly in the country. Officials also say 14 million people, or 16 percent of the population, have lost their homes or otherwise been affected.

An international aid group says there is also a need to provide support to those who were psychologically traumatized by the disaster.