Keeping you up-to-date with the latest on the earthquake in Turkey:bit.ly/pFjAAl
People fled into the streets following the quake
The earthquake struck at 1:41 p.m. local time, about 19 km northeast of Van, a bustling city of more than 500,000 people.
The death toll has risen to 138, and continues to climb. Over 350 people are among those reported injured. More than 80 buildings, including a student dormitory, were destroyed.
Rescue efforts are still underway. The earthquake cut the city's electricity supply, leaving rescuers to power their equipment with generators.
The United States Geological Service (USGS) estimates some 377,000 people were exposed to violent shaking during the quake.
The powerful quake caused buildings to collapse, turning them into piles of twisted steel and pieces of concrete.
Officials said the death toll could climb into the thousands as crews comb through the rubble caused by the 7.2 quake. A low level of housing standards could add to the number of lives lost.
People fled into the streets in panic as aftershocks, including two with a magnitude of 5.6, continued to rock the area.
The initial earthquake was felt in neighbouring Iraq, Iran and Syria and as far away as Armenia.
Several faultlines lie beneath Turkey and small earthquakes are common. In 1999, two large quakes killed more than 20,000 people in the country's northwest.
With files from Reuters and Kimberly Lamontagne
