A 7.8 magnitude earthquake rocked southeastern Turkey, killing at least 10 people according to authorities.
The quake was centered about 33 km (20 miles) from Gaziantep at a depth of 10 km (6 miles) and there were five powerful aftershocks, according to reports.
Several buildings were destroyed as people gathered outside in snow-covered streets, according to footage shown on public broadcaster TRT.
The governor of Osmaniye province said at least 34 buildings had collapsed due to the quake.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Twitter that “search and rescue teams were immediately dispatched” to quake-affected areas.
“We hope that we will get through this disaster together as quickly as possible and with the least damage,” he wrote.
There were at least 6 aftershocks and he urged people not to enter damaged buildings due to the risks, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said.
“Our priority is to get people trapped under crumbling buildings out and transfer them to hospitals,” he said.
In Sanliurfa, at least 10 deaths have been confirmed, according to Governor Salih Ayhan.
Several buildings collapsed in the neighboring provinces of Malatya, Diyarbakir and Malatya, HaberTurk TV reported. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
The earthquake was also felt in Syria, Lebanon and Cyprus.
A strong 6.7 aftershock rumbled about 10 minutes later.
Syrian state media reported that some buildings collapsed in the northern city of Aleppo and in the central city of Hama.
In the northwest of the country, the opposition Syrian Civil Defense described the situation in the rebel-held region as “disastrous”, adding that entire buildings have collapsed and people are trapped under the rubble. Civil Defense urged people to evacuate buildings to congregate in open areas.
In Beirut and Damascus, buildings shook and people gathered in the streets in fear.
So far, no deaths or serious injuries have been reported in Lebanon or Cyprus.
Turkey sits atop major fault lines and is frequently rocked by earthquakes.
