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

A 7.8 magnitude earthquake has knocked down multiple buildings in southeast Turkey and Syria, killing at least 10 people.

The fatal tremor lasted about a minute, and was felt as far as Cyprus and Lebanon, sending terrified residents into snowy streets to avoid being crushed within the crumbling structures. 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that ‘search and rescue teams were immediately dispatched’ to the areas hit by the devastating quake.

‘We hope that we will get through this disaster together as soon as possible and with the least damage,’ he wrote.

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

‘Our priority is to bring out people trapped under ruined buildings and to transfer them to hospitals,’ he said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Twitter that ‘search and rescue teams were immediately dispatched’ to the areas hit by the quake

In northwest Syria, authorities in the region as ‘disastrous’ adding that entire buildings have collapsed and people are trapped under the rubble. 

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

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

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake was centered about 20 miles from Gaziantep, a major city and provincial capital. It was centered 11 miles deep, 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 town of Pazarcik, in Kahramanmaras province.

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

Several buildings tumbled down in the neighboring provinces of Malatya, Diyarbakir and Malatya.

A view of the destroyed building after 7.4 magnitude earthquake jolts the region

Buildings have collapsed during the tremors 

The earthquake came as the Middle East is experiencing a snowstorm that is expected to continue until Thursday

Syria´s state media reported that some buildings collapsed in the northern city of Aleppo and the central city of Hama. In Damascus, buildings shook and many people went down to the streets in fear.

‘Paintings fell off the walls in the house,’ said Samer, a resident of the Syrian city. ‘I woke up terrified. Now we´re all dressed and standing at the door.’

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

The earthquake came as the Middle East is experiencing a snowstorm that is expected to continue until Thursday.

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

The country sits on top of major fault lines and is frequently shaken by earthquakes.

Some 18,000 were killed in powerful earthquakes that hit northwest Turkey in 1999.