A powerful earthquake has hit a wide area in south-eastern Turkey, near the Syrian border, killing dozens of people and trapping many others. The US Geological Survey said the 7.8 magnitude tremor struck at 04:17 local time at a depth of 17.9km near the city of Gaziantep.
In Turkey, officials confirmed at least 17 deaths. Many casualties were also reported in Syria. There are fears the death toll will rise sharply in the coming hours.
Many buildings have collapsed, and rescue teams have been deployed to search for survivors.
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