Desperate hunt for survivors after Turkey quake

ERCIS: Hopes faded Tuesday of finding more survivors as rescuers under floodlights scrabbled desperately through the rubble of an earthquake that killed at least 279 people in eastern Turkey.

The rescue workers scrambled to find survivors as residents spent a second night outside in the freezing cold.

With night-time temperatures expected to dip to two degrees Celsius (36 Fahrenheit) and snow forecast for Wednesday, residents took shelter anyway they could -- some in cars, some in tents and some under only a blanket.

Hundreds of rescue workers frantically scrambled to pull any survivors out of the rubble in the town of Ercis, which received the brunt of the quake, as scores of ambulances and medical supplies were rushed to the area from around the country.

The confirmed death toll from the 7.2 magnitude earthquake which struck around lunchtime on Sunday in Van province stood at 279 with some 1,300 people injured, according to Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc.

After the quake hit, people living in the eastern province issued cries for help on Twitter, giving out the addresses of collapsed buildings and the number of people trapped under the debris. (AFP)