UPDATE 5 - Turkey quake death toll hits 55

ADDS STATEMENT OF HEALTH MINISTER; MORE DETAILS, CHANGES HL, SPOT, LEDE; UPDATES FIGURES, EDITS THROUGHOUT

By Erdogan Cagatay Zontur

ANKARA (AA) - The death toll from Friday's earthquake in Turkey’s Aegean region has risen to 55, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca announced Sunday.

At least 896 people were also wounded in the magnitude-6.6 quake that struck Izmir, Turkey's third largest city.

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

The Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency said there have been 883 aftershocks with 42 stronger than magnitude-4.0, as of 12.30 a.m. local time (0930GMT).

Among the hospitalized victims, 76% have so far been discharged, while eight people are in intensive care units, according to the minister.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that new houses will be built for those whose homes have been destroyed "as soon as possible."

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.