Major earthquake strikes Turkey, Syria

STORY: A little girl is rescued from the rubble in the city of Azaz in Syria after a magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck the northwest of the country and central Turkey on Monday (February 6).

Hundreds of people were killed, as buildings collapsed across the region.

Most of Syria's victims were in the provinces of Hama, Aleppo and Latakia.

Many buildings in the area had already suffered damage in the fighting during the country’s nearly 12-year-long civil war.

In Damascus, people ran to their cars to get away from their buildings in case they collapsed, according to witnesses.

In Turkey, Rescuers across the region are trying to search for survivors under the rubble.

The quake struck in the early darkness of a winter morning, which took many residents by surprise.

This man in the southeastern city of Diyarkbakir said the quake woke him up and he heard loud noises from all over the place.

He said it took two minutes for the shaking to stop.

The quake was also felt in Cyprus and Lebanon.

Turkish interior minister Suleyman Soylu said rescue teams are being dispatched to the region.

Authorities have declared a “Level 4 alarm” that calls for international assistance.

The region straddles seismic fault lines and is prone to earthquakes.