A powerful earthquake centered in Turkey was felt across parts of Israel early Monday morning, jostling residents of Tel Aviv and the north, and causing extensive damage elsewhere.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage in Israel from the 7.8 magnitude temblor, which was centered some 23 kilometers (14 miles) east of Nurdagi, Turkey, according to the United State Geological Survey, which tracks earthquakes.
It was recorded at a depth of 17.9 kilometers and struck at 3:17 a.m. in Israel. Strong aftershocks of 6.7 and 5.6 shook the ground again moments after the initial quake, with reports that those as well were felt in Israel.
The quake was also felt in Cyprus, Syria, Lebanon, Greece, Jordan, Iraq and as far away as Romania, Georgia, and Egypt, according to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre.
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.
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Several buildings tumbled down in the neighboring provinces of Malatya, Diyarbakir and Malatya, HaberTurk television reported. There was no immediate reports on casualties.
Several buildings, residential complexes collapsed after powerful earthquake that hit southeastern #Turkey. Hundreds are trapped under the rubble’s. pic.twitter.com/914xZeRnKa
— Barzan Sadiq (@BarzanSadiq) February 6, 2023
Videos showed buildings reduced to piles of rubble, as frantic rescuers tore through the wreckage to look for survivors.
רעידת האדמה בטורקיה | תיעוד: מבנים שקרסו בעיר אורפה, הסמוכה לגזיאנטפ, שם היה מקור הרעידה@DovGilHar pic.twitter.com/qYLIhqTnAg
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) February 6, 2023
Malatya, near Divan Hastane [Hospital], a hotel collapsed according to the cameraman #Turkey #Earthquake https://t.co/BRgD3nB7RC pic.twitter.com/KOXmmZ7EE0
— Aleph א (@no_itsmyturn) February 6, 2023
Tevfik Temelli caddesi arılar fırını üsttü acil AFAD itfaiye gelmesi lazım..
1 bina komple yıkıldı..
112 ulaşılamıyor..
Acillllll
Malatya İstanbul deprem pic.twitter.com/dZBrFT44eQ— KoLŞiSiN (@ysk34_) February 6, 2023
Turkey sits on top of major fault lines and is frequently shaken by earthquakes.
Syria’s state media reported that some buildings collapsed in the northern city of Aleppo and the central city of Hama.
In Syria’s rebel-held northwest that borders Turkey several buildings collapsed, according to the opposition’s Syrian civil Defense.
The temblor was strong enough in Beirut to sway buildings and knock products off shelves.
A supermarket in Beirut, Lebanon after an earthquake in southern Turkey. pic.twitter.com/kMweJy9VPP
— Thomas Abi-Hanna (@ThomasRiddIe) February 6, 2023
The tremor was among the strongest to be felt in Israel in years.
The Magen David Adom rescue service said it had not received any requests for emergency help.
“Because of high winds outside I thought it was the arrival of winter storm Barbara,” a Haifa resident told the Walla news site, referring to a large storm expected to hit Israel Monday. “It took a few long seconds until I realized that the shaking was inside the house.”
Nurdagi is located near the Turkey-Syria border, some 435 kilometers (270 miles) from Israel.
Israel, which sits on the seismically active Syrian-African Rift Valley, has been girding for a major earthquake for decades, shoring up buildings and infrastructure and recently unveiling a siren system meant to issue a warning at the first sign of shaking.
Historically, the country has experienced severe earthquakes once a century, on average. The last one occurred in 1927.
