Earthquake kills at least 100 people in Syria

A major earthquake of magnitude 7.4 that struck southeastern Turkey also shook northwest Syria on Monday, killing at least 100 people as buildings collapsed across the snowy region, triggering a search for survivors trapped in rubble.

The quake, which was also felt in Cyprus and Lebanon, collapsed buildings in the provinces of Hama, Aleppo and Latakia, Syrian state media said.

Many buildings in the region had already suffered damage in fighting during Syria's nearly 12-year-long civil war.

In Damascus and in the Lebanese cities of Beirut and Tripoli, people ran into the streets and got into their cars to get away from their homes in case they collapsed, witnesses reported.

In the northwest of the country, the opposition Syrian Civil Defense described the situation in the rebel-held region as "catastrophic," adding that entire buildings had collapsed and people were trapped under the rubble.

The earthquake occurred at a time when the Middle East is being battered by a snowstorm that is expected to last until Thursday.