The Civil Protection Department has issued an alert for possible tsunami waves arriving on the Italian coasts following the 7.9 magnitude earthquake with its epicenter between Turkey and Syria at 2:17.
In a statement, the Civil Protection "recommends that you move away from coastal areas, go to the higher elevation nearby area and follow the directions of the local authorities".
A strong 7,9-magnitude earthquake killed more than 50 people in southern Turkey and was felt in Cyprus, Lebanon and Syria, collapsing dozens of buildings. The search for survivors is still ongoing.
Turkish authorities have sent rescue teams and planes to the region around the city of Kahramanmaras, declaring a "level 4 alert".
The quake lasted about a minute and shattered windows, according to a Reuters witness in Diyarbakir, 350km (218 miles) to the east, where a security official said at least 17 buildings collapsed.
Local authorities said 16 structures collapsed in Sanliurfa and 34 in Osmaniye.
TV stations TRT and Haberturk showed footage of people scavenging the rubble of buildings, moving stretchers and looking for survivors in Kahramanmaras, where it was still dark.
The German Research Center for Geosciences (GFZ) said the quake struck at a depth of 10km (6 miles), while monitoring service EMSC said it was assessing the risk of a tsunami.
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The United States. Geological Survey (USGS) reported a series of further earthquakes after the initial tremor, which it pegged at a magnitude of 7,8. There was an earthquake of magnitude 6.7 in Gaziantep and another of 5.6 in the city area of Nurdag.
Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) estimated the earthquake's magnitude at 7,4 near Kahramanmaras and the largest city of Gaziantep, near the Syrian border.
Syrian state media said a large number of buildings collapsed in Aleppo province, while a civil service source in Hama said several buildings collapsed there.
Earthquakes were also felt overnight in Ankara, 460km (286 miles) northwest of the epicenter, and in Cyprus, where police reported no damage, however.