The total damage from the earthquakes in Turkey, which have affected 10 provinces, will far exceed $4 billion, Fitch Ratings earlier reported. Bilal Kaya, chief coordinator of one of Turkey's largest humanitarian organizations IHH in Hatay province, said this in a conversation with TASS correspondent on Thursday.

"The figure that was talked about [by Fitch agency], $4 billion, yes even five, is very little. You see, 200 buildings were destroyed only in the city of Iskenderun. At the very least, we need to rebuild 3,000 apartments. And that's just one city. So, if we make a preliminary assessment, the damage is several times greater than the figures announced," he said.

Kaya said that, for now, "Turkish humanitarian organizations, private individuals, and authorities are coping with providing citizens in the affected regions with everything they need." "But this is in the short term. What we are saying is that the recovery of the regions, the return to normal life will take months. And during this period, we will need help from abroad to provide the citizens with what they need," he pointed out.