Impossible to prepare for disasters this big, Turkey's president says

1. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visits the disaster zone in his country as criticism grows over the official response
2. Families in some badly-hit areas have said the slow speed of rescue efforts means they have had no help digging to find relatives
3. President Erdogan defends the response, saying it's not possible to prepare for disasters of this magnitude
4. More than 12,000 people in southern Turkey and northern Syria are now known to have been killed in Monday's earthquakes
5. Erdogan acknowledged there'd been difficulties with the initial response but blamed delays on damaged roads and airports
6. In Syria, the White Helmet group who are leading efforts to rescue people in rebel-held areas, say time is running out to save people
7. Dramatic footage and pictures are continuing to emerge of rescues in both countries

BreakingDeath toll rising rapidly

Early statements from officials in Turkey and Syria put the death toll over 90, and climbing.

In Turkey, there are at least 23 confirmed deaths in Malatya, 17 in Sanliurfa, six in Diyarbakir and five more in Osmaniye.

Across the border in Syria, at least 42 have been killed, Syria's state news agency reported.

Breaking23 people killed in city of Malatya - governor

Offials in the city of Malatya say 23 people have died in the earthquake.

Another 42 people were injured and 140 buildings have collapsed, said the city's governor.

Scenes from the quake-hit city of Diyarbakir

EPA

A collapsed building in Diyarbakir

Getty Images

People lifting victims out of the rubble in Diyarbakir

EPA

Turkish soldiers joining the rescue mission

10 cities affected across the country

Turkey’s Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu said 10 cities in Turkey have been affected by the quake including: Kahramanmaraş, Hatay, Gaziantep, Osmaniye, Adıyaman, Malatya, Şanlıurfa, Adana, Diyarbakır, Kilis.

He said the country's search and rescue teams had been deployed and were at "high alert".

Getty Images

File photo of Süleyman Soylu

BreakingAt least 17 people killed in earthquake - officials

At least 17 people have been killed so far in the earthquake, local Turkish officials are reporting.

In the city of Osmaniye, the governor confirmed there had been five deaths.

In the city of Şanlıurfa, there have been 12 deaths.

At least 50 buildings have collapsed across the two cities, both in the country's south-east.

Watch: Tremors shake a home in Turkish city Diyarbakir

Turkey earthquake: Room shakes in Diyarbakir

What do we know so far?

Here is what we know:

• The quake struck southern Turkey, near the northern border of Syria, at 04:17 local time (01:17 GMT) at a depth of 17.9km (11 miles)
• Tremors were felt in various Turkish cities, including the capital Ankara, as well as in neighbouring countries like Syria, Lebanon, and Israel
• Reuters reported local Turkish officials said at least 10 people have been killed
• Footage on social media show collapsed buildings and people stuck under rubble calling for help
• The earthquake was followed 11 minutes later by an aftershock of magnitude 6.7
• Images are starting to come in of the damage caused by the quake. Many are photos of collapsed buildings taken by locals in the early hours of Monday.

Reuters

Earthquake collapses building in Diyarbakir, Turkey

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A major earthquake has struck south-eastern Turkey, near the city of Gaziantep.

The quake measured 7.8 magnitude on the US Geological Survey.

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