More than 200 people have died after a magnitude-7.8 quake struck south-east Türkiye and Syria, causing a number of buildings to collapse in both countries.
The earthquake, which struck in the early hours of Monday morning local time and killed at least 207 people, lasted for about a minute and was felt as far away as Cairo
The US Geological Survey said the quake was centred about 33 kilometres from Gaziantep, a major city and Turkish provincial capital.
It was 18 kilometres deep, and a strong magnitude-6.7 aftershock rumbled about 10 minutes later.
The earthquake triggered a tsunami alert for coastal areas of Italy, according to local media.
At least 76 people died across seven Turkish provinces and 440 people have been injured according to the Türkiye's Disaster and Emergency Management agency.
Earthquake hits Türkiye
The death toll in government-held areas of Syria climbed to 111, according to Syrian state media citing the Health Ministry, with at least 516 people injured.
Earlier, 20 people were reported killed in rebel-held areas of the war-torn country.
Dr Muheeb Qaddour, in the north-western Syrian town of Atmed, said many people were buried under the rubble and he feared the death toll there would be "in the hundreds".
At least 130 buildings were destroyed in Türkiye's Malatya province alone, Governor Hulusi Sahin said.
In the Turkish city of Diyarbakir, at least 15 buildings collapsed. Rescue teams called for silence as they listed for survivors in a toppled 11-storey building.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said "search and rescue teams were immediately dispatched" to the areas hit by the quake.
"We hope that we will get through this disaster together as soon as possible and with the least damage," he wrote on Twitter.
At least 20 aftershocks followed, some hours later during daylight, the strongest measuring 6.6, Turkish authorities said.
"Our priority is to bring out people trapped under ruined buildings and to transfer them to hospitals," Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said.
Several buildings fell in the Turkish provinces of Malatya, Diyarbakir and Malatya, HaberTurk television reported.
Türkiye sits on top of major fault lines and is frequently shaken by earthquakes.
Some 18,000 people were killed in powerful earthquakes that hit the north-west of the country in 1999.
Buildings collapse in Aleppo, Hama
In north-west Syria, the opposition's Syrian Civil Defence described the situation in the rebel-held region as "disastrous", adding that entire buildings had collapsed and people were trapped under the rubble.
The civil defence urged people to evacuate buildings and to gather in open areas.
Syria's state media reported that some buildings collapsed in the northern city of Aleppo and the central city of Hama.
In Damascus, buildings shook and many people went down to the streets in fear.
The earthquake was also felt in Lebanon.
The quake jolted residents in Lebanon from beds, shaking buildings for about 40 seconds.
Many residents of Beirut left their homes and took to the streets or drove in their cars away from buildings.
Parts of the Middle East are experiencing a snowstorm that is expected to continue until Thursday.
Story By: AP/Reuters/ABC
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