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The opposition’s Syrian Civil Defense in northwest Syria, described the situation as “disastrous” adding that entire buildings collapsed and people are feared trapped under the rubble.

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

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake was centered about 33 kilometers from Gaziantep, a major city and provincial capital. It was felt in several provinces.

It was centered 18 kilometers deep, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. A strong 6.7 aftershock rumbled about 10 minutes later.

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

Syria’s state media reported that some buildings collapsed in the northern city of Aleppo and the central city of Hama.

The earthquake was also felt in Lebanon. In Damascus, buildings shook and many people went down to the streets in fear.

The quake jolted residents in Lebanon from 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.

There were no immediate reports of major damage or casualties in Lebanon.

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.

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