More than 2,000 rescue workers are on the ground, fighting against time to find survivors through piles of rubble, digging with shovels, heavy machinery and even bare hands, after a deadly 7.2-magnitude earthquake shook the eastern Turkey on Sunday. 279 people have been reported dead, with 1,300 hundred injured so far. The death toll is expected to rise even more. Numerous aftershocks have rattled the Turkish city of Van, which is one of the nations poorest areas. According to sources, about 970 buildings have collapsed, while electricity and natural gas have been off in most part of the city on Monday. Tens of thousands of residents have been in the open air, living under freezing conditions, with returning home not being an option. The authorities have since sent aid teams from the north and east of Turkey to the earthquake hit areas, to assist the victims.