At least 10 people dead in Turkey earthquake as buildings collapse and windows shatter

A 7.8-magnitude quake toppled several buildings in southeastern Turkey and Syria early Monday, killing at least 10 people.

The tremor lasted about a minute and was felt as far as Cyprus and Lebanon, sending residents onto snowy streets.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Twitter that “search and rescue teams were immediately dispatched” to earthquake-affected areas.

“We hope we get through this disaster together as soon as possible and with as little damage as possible,” he wrote.

There were at least six aftershocks and he urged people not to enter damaged buildings because of the risks, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said.

“Our priority is to get people trapped under dilapidated buildings out and into hospitals,” he said.

In northwestern Syria, the opposition Syrian Civil Defense described the situation in the rebel-held region as “disastrous”, adding that entire buildings had collapsed and people were trapped under rubble.

The civil defense urged people to evacuate buildings to gather in open areas.

Meanwhile, the governor of Turkey’s southeastern Sanliurfa province, Salih Ayhan, said on Twitter that “we have destroyed buildings” and urged people to move to safe places.

The US Geological Survey said the quake was centered about 20 miles from Gaziantep, a major city and provincial capital. It was centered 11 miles down and a strong 6.7 aftershock rumbled about 10 minutes later.

Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management agency, AFAD, said the quake measured 7.4 and was centered in the city of Pazarcik in Kahramanmaras province.

In Sanliurfa, at least 10 deaths have been confirmed, according to Governor Salih Ayhan.

Several buildings collapsed in the neighboring provinces of Malatya, Diyarbakir and Malatya, HaberTurk television reported.

Syrian state media reported that some buildings collapsed in the northern city of Aleppo and the central city of Hama.

In Damascus, buildings trembled and many people took to the streets in fear.

“The paintings fell from the walls of the house,” said Samer, a resident of the Syrian town. ‘I woke up terrified. Now we are all dressed and standing at the door.

In Lebanon, the quake knocked residents out of their beds and shook buildings for about 40 seconds. Many Beirut residents left their homes and took to the streets or drove away from buildings in their cars.

The quake came as the Middle East is experiencing a blizzard that is expected to continue through Thursday.

The head of the Turkish Red Cross said he was mobilizing resources for the region as he had received reports of serious damage and collapsed buildings, and urged people to evacuate damaged houses.

The country sits on large fault lines and is frequently rocked by earthquakes.

Some 18,000 people died in the powerful earthquakes that struck northwestern Turkey in 1999.