More than 300 people have been killed in a strong earthquake near the Syrian border in southeast Turkey, according to their local reports.
Foreign media reports that the number of injured people has exceeded 2000.
Many more people are trapped in the rubble of collapsed buildings.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) said an earthquake of magnitude 7.8 struck at 04:17 pm local time (01:17 GMT) near the city of Gaziantep at a depth of 17.9 kilometers (11 miles).
10 cities, including Diyarbakir, have been severely affected by this earthquake.
More than 230 people were killed in Syria, according to the country’s state media.
The Syrian Health Ministry said people died in Aleppo, Latakia, Hama, and Tars.
The death toll is said to rise rapidly in the next few hours.
After the first strong earthquake, at least 18 aftershocks with a magnitude greater than 4 have been recorded.
The USGS said it recorded seven earthquakes with a magnitude greater than 5 on the Richter scale.
The strongest aftershock so far was recorded 11 minutes after the first quake, with a magnitude of 6.7, according to the USGS.
Experts say strong aftershocks could continue in the hours and days following the powerful earthquake Turkey experienced this Monday morning.
Many buildings have collapsed, and rescue teams have been deployed to search for survivors under huge piles of rubble.
The earthquake was one of the strongest to hit the region in over 100 years.
