According to the Cyprus Department of Geological Survey, the quake was felt at 3:17 local time in the Gaziantep area (Central Turkey close to the Syrian borders), measuring 7.8.
It said, “the earthquake was strongly felt at a distance of almost 600 kilometres from the epicentre (Iraq, Georgia, Israel, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, and Cyprus).
“In Cyprus, it was strongly felt throughout the island,” a statement said.
One Larnaca resident said: “I was woken up by the room shaking; even the dog was hiding”.