ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — A 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck southeastern Turkey early Monday and was felt in several provinces and other parts of the Middle East. The quake brought down several buildings, according to reports.
The US Geological Survey said the quake was centered about 20 miles from Gaziantep, a major city and provincial capital. It was about 26 16 miles from the city of Nurdagi.
It originated 11 miles down, according to the US Geological Survey. A strong 6.7 temblor 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.
The quake was also felt in Lebanon and Syria.
Syrian state media reported that some buildings collapsed in the northern city of Aleppo and the central city of Hama.
In rebel-held northwestern Syria bordering Turkey, several buildings have collapsed, according to the opposition Syrian Civil Defense.
There was no immediate word on the victims.
The quake knocked Lebanon’s 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.
Turkey sits on major fault lines and is often hit by earthquakes.
Some 18,000 people died in the powerful earthquakes that struck northwestern Turkey in 1999.
