Hatay, Idlib and Aleppo badly hit

The 7.8 magnitude earthquake's epicentre appeared to be Turkey's Hatay province, which includes the city of Gazientep, whose ancient castle collapsed.

The Turkish cities of Diyarbakir, Sanliurfa, Osmaniye, Kahramanmaras and Iskanderun, among others, were also hit.

In Syria, damage and deaths were recorded in the provinces of Idlib, Aleppo, Latakia, Tartus and Hama.

Tremors were felt as far away as Cyprus, Lebanon, Iraq and Egypt