Tsunami alert issued in Italy after 7.8 magnitude earthquake hits Turkey

Italian authorities have issued a tsunami alert after a massive earthquake struck Turkey, early today morning.

In a tweet, an authority warned residents to stay away from coasts and to follow instructions issued by local government bodies.

At least 10 people were killed in Turkey after 7.8 magnitude earthquake shook the country's south and also northern Syria, two local Turkish officials said.

The German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) said the quake struck at a depth of 10 kilometres near the southern Turkish city of Kahramanmaras, while the EMSC monitoring service said the chance of a tsunami risk was being evaluated.

It was felt in several provinces in the region and knocked down a number of buildings, reports said.

• Residents trapped under rubble as buildings collapse, aftershocks hit Syria; state of emergency declared