More than 2,000 people are dead, with the toll expected to rise rapidly after a devastating earthquake ripped through Turkey and Syria overnight.
Freezing temperatures and a winter storm in the region are hampering rescue efforts. Guyon Espiner spoke to freelance journalist Arzu Geybulla, from her home in Istanbul.
Rescue workers and volunteers pull out a survivor from the rubble in Diyarbakir, Turkey, after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the country's south-east. Photo: AFP
