Rescue Crews Scour Rubble After Turkey Tremor

The 7.2 magnitude earthquake that hit eastern Turkey Sunday left hundreds dead and hundreds more injured, and the death toll continues to rise Monday as crews dig through the frozen rubble.

Rescue teams have also been able to pull some to safety.  Five people were found alive inside a collapsed building Monday after one of the survivors was able to call for help on his cellphone.

Earthquake Aftermath (Associated Press)

The quake hit at 1:41 p.m. local time (3:41 a.m. PST) near where Turkey borders Iran. 

Officials from the Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute in Istanbul recorded 200 aftershocks, some of which were as strong as 6.0 magnitude.  

Van and Ercis, two cities that were near the quake's epicenter were left with hundreds of flattened buildings. 

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other officials flew in to the region last night to be present during the ongoing search for survivors. 

"We are not going to leave people to their own devices in the winter cold," Erdogan said. 

Turkey is experiencing extremely cold temperatures at minus 2 degrees Celsius (28 degrees Fahrenheit), which is making it even more brutal for those who lost their houses in the quake.  

President Obama extended condolences and support to Turkey shortly after the quake.  The United States stands "shoulder to shoulder with our Turkish ally at this difficult time and are ready to assist," an e-mailed statement from the White House said.

The quake was the most devastating one to hit the country since a 7.6 magnitude tremor killed 17,000 in 1999. 

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