Mr Emmanuel Olaitan Johnson, a Nigerian living in Turkey, shared a harrowing account of how he and his family survived the Monday earthquake that killed over 3000 people in Turkey and Syria.
Johnson told BBC Pidgin that he became concerned when he noticed a crack in the wall of his building.
According to the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority, the quake, described as the worst in the country since 1939, was detected at 4:17am (0117 GMT) by SaharaReporters (AFAD).
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the disaster injured over 5,000 people, destroyed 2,800 buildings, and killed over 2,700 people across Turkey and northwest Syria.
The magnitude 7.8 quake brought down entire apartment blocks in Turkish cities, adding to the devastation caused by years of war for millions of Syrians.
The worst tremor to hit Turkey this century struck before sunrise in harsh weather, and was followed by another large quake of magnitude 7.7 in the early afternoon.
However, in recounting his ordeal, Jonhson stated that he was dressed only in his pants, picked up his children, and dashed into the snow without any clothing.
“I was in my building and I noticed it was shaking but I wasn’t perturbed at first. But when I saw a crack in the wall, I grabbed my wife and children and ran out of the house.
“As I speak to you, I and my family are now homeless,” he told BBC Pidgin.
Johnson, a Nigerian living in Gaziantep, one of the affected cities in Turkey, explained that he had just finished watching the 9/11 terrorist attack documentary before the incident began.
According to Jonhson, before my house broke down, I ran inside twice to pick shoes for myself, wife and children and also pick up our documents.
He added that the incident began around 4:17 am in the morning.
According to him, we are dressed in singlets and boxers and my children were walking in the snow with barefoot.
“While I was using my building’s staircase, I almost lost my footing while climbing because of the earthquake’s magnitude and how the building was shaking,” he said.
For safety, he claimed that some people sheltered in sports centres and museums with strong buildings.