Several buildings collapse after 7.8 magnitude earthquake hits Turkey

New Delhi: A 7.8 magnitude earthquake, according to U.S. Geological Survey, shook southeast Turkey early Monday and was felt in several provinces and elsewhere in the Middle East. 

The quake knocked down a number of buildings, reports said.

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.

Several buildings tumbled down in the neighboring provinces of Malatya, Diyarbakir and Malatya, HaberTurk television reported. There was no immediate reports on casualties.

Video posted by local media shows partially collapsed hotel in town of Malatya, Turkey, following magnitude 7.8 earthquake in Gaziantep and two aftershocks pic.twitter.com/fL1kIzvUSL

— Factal News (@factal) February 6, 2023

An 8-storey building in the district of Diyarbakir was demolished, there are many people inside.#earthquake #DEPREMOLDU #Turkey #deprem #diyarbakır #amed #depremoldu pic.twitter.com/B3d8Pf98Un

— Chaudhary Parvez (@ChaudharyParvez) February 6, 2023

The earthquake was also felt in Lebanon and Syria.

In Syria’s rebel-held northwest that borders Turkey several buildings collapsed, according to the opposition’s Syrian civil Defense.

Turkey 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.