Mideast Quake Kills at Least 8, Injures Dozens

Tourists in pajamas and bathrobes fled hotels at coastal resorts and residents of the Egyptian capital ran into the streets shouting Muslim prayers when a strong earthquake rocked a wide arc of the Middle East on Wednesday.

At least eight people were killed and dozens were injured--including two students who suffered broken legs when they were crushed by hundreds of youths fleeing down the stairway of a crowded Cairo hostel.

The quake, which had an estimated magnitude of as much as 7.2 and struck at 6:15 a.m. local time, was centered 68 miles south of the Israeli resort of Eilat on the Gulf of Aqaba.

It shook seaside resorts in Egypt, Israel, Jordan and Saudi Arabia and was felt as far away as Lebanon, Syria and the Mediterranean island of Cyprus to the north.

Buildings--including a four-story hotel--collapsed, and electricity was cut.

Hardest hit were towns along the Gulf of Aqaba--including Eilat, Israel, neighboring Aqaba in Jordan, and Nuweiba, Egypt, about 40 miles south. Vacationers ran from hotels in their bedclothes and, in a few cases, covered only by towels.

“There was a strong noise. Then the whole ground started moving. There was panic and people were screaming. Customers in the hotel left their rooms. It was very scary,” said Mashaat Haddad, a desk clerk at Aqaba’s seafront Holiday Inn.