A powerful earthquake occurred in the southeast of Turkey, near the border with Syria. The US Geological Service said that the 7.8 earthquake occurred at 04:17 local time at a depth of 17.9 km, near the city of Gaziantep.
According to the Air Force, the earthquake was felt in the capital of Ankara and other Turkish cities, as well as throughout the region.
The BBC Turkish correspondent in Diyarbakyr reports that the city center has hit the city.
Rushdi Abualuf, the producer of the BBC in the Gaza Strip, said that the house in which he lived was shaking about 45 seconds.
Turkish seismologists appreciated the magnitude of the earthquake at 7.4. According to them, a few minutes later a second impetus occurred in the region.
In the Turkish city of Chanlyurf, 16 houses hit, people remain under the rubble, the mayor said.
Erdogan said that the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Health, rescuers and other departments began to eliminate the consequences of the earthquake.
The head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Turkey said that the country has announced the highest level of anxiety.
The 17-story house fell in the Turkish city of Adan as a result of an earthquake, the mayor said.
The Governor of the Province of Osmaniye reported the death of 5 people and the collapse of 34 buildings.
12 people died as a result of an earthquake in the Turkish Chanlyurf, 5 – in Osmani Province, Turkish authorities report.