Magnitude 7.8 earthquake demolishes houses in Turkey and Syria

ANKARA, Turkey — A magnitude 7.8 earthquake has destroyed several buildings in southeastern Turkey and Syria, and there are fears that there are many casualties.

Initially, at least five deaths were reported in Turkey.

In northwestern Syria, the opposition’s Syrian Civil Defense has described the situation in the rebel-held region as “catastrophic,” adding that entire buildings have collapsed and people have been trapped under rubble.

Civil Defense urged people to evacuate buildings and gather in open areas.

The USGS said the earthquake was located about 33 kilometers (20 miles) from Gaziantep, a major city and provincial capital. This was felt in several provinces.

The quake comes as a snowstorm rages across the Middle East and is expected to last until Thursday.

THIS IS A BIG NEWS UPDATE. The earlier history of the AP follows below.

A magnitude 7.8 quake hit southeast Turkey early Monday morning and was felt in several provinces and other places in the Middle East. According to media reports, the earthquake destroyed several buildings.

The USGS said the earthquake was located about 33 kilometers (20 miles) from Gaziantep, a major city and provincial capital. It was about 26 kilometers (16 miles) from the city of Nurdagi.

According to the US Geological Survey, its center was at a depth of 18 kilometers (11 mi). About 10 minutes later, a strong aftershock of magnitude 6.7 thundered.

The Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Agency (AFAD) reported that a 7.4 magnitude earthquake hit the city of Pazardzhik in the province of Kahramanmaras.

Several buildings collapsed in the neighboring provinces of Malatya, Diyarbakir and Malatya, HaberTurk TV reported. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

The earthquake 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.

Several buildings collapsed in rebel-held northwest Syria, which borders Turkey, according to the opposition’s Syrian Civil Defense.

Buildings shook in Damascus, and many people took to the streets in fear.

The quake threw Lebanese people out of their beds, shaking buildings for about 40 seconds. Many residents of Beirut left their homes and took to the streets or drove their cars away from the buildings.

There were no immediate reports of serious damage or casualties in any of the countries.

Turkey sits on top of major fault lines and is often shaken by earthquakes.

About 18,000 people were killed in powerful earthquakes in northwestern Turkey in 1999.