BEIRUT (VG) An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 has been reported in Turkey. The quake was also noticeable in Lebanon, Syria, Cyprus and Israel.
– I felt it well. The buildings swayed and several residents ran out into the street, says VG’s reporter in Beirut, Kyrre Lien.
The epicenter was outside the Turkish city of Gaziantep, in the south of the country. The US Earthquake Center USGS also reports an aftershock of magnitude 6.7 ten minutes after the first.
Reuters journalist Timour Azhari says that the quake could be felt in Lebanon, Syria, Cyprus and Israel.
Extensive damage
The earthquake has not yet been mentioned by the authorities, and no deaths or injuries have yet been reported, but witnesses tell the AFP news agency that buildings have collapsed.
Photos and videos on social media also show extensive destruction.
No damage has been reported in Lebanon, but several apartment buildings have collapsed in northern Syria and Turkey, in an area that houses millions of vulnerable Syrian refugees.
Syrian media reports that buildings have collapsed in Aleppo and Hama, as well as in the areas along the border with Turkey.
– I send my thoughts to all our citizens who are affected, writes Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
He points out that the country’s rescue services and all relevant resources have been put to work.
– We hope that we will get through this disaster together as quickly as possible and with as little damage as possible, and we will continue our work, he writes.
– Fell out of bed
Kim Terje Olsen is on a work trip with several Norwegian colleagues in Cyprus. He was lying in bed in the hotel room when it started shaking.
– My room was on the ninth floor, so I noticed it properly. I woke up from falling out of bed. It felt like I was in a storm at sea, he says.
When VG speaks to him at 3:30 (Norwegian time), he is standing outside in the street with several other hotel guests.
– The whole hotel shook properly for five to ten minutes. It was a terrible experience, he says.
He ran down into the lobby where several guests had gathered, before they were told to run out. It is the first time he has experienced an earthquake.
– It’s completely wild. Surreal, he says.
They feared more tremors, but he says he feels safe now.
