Roughly 20 aftershocks, the strongest of which reaching 6 on the Richter scale, hit southeast Turkey three hours after the 7.2 magnitude quake jolted the province of Van at 1:41 p.m. local time on Sunday.

The strongest aftershock was reported to have struck at a depth of 9.8 km about 20 km north-northwest of Van, according to the US Geological Survey.

Sunday's earthquake left at least 217 people dead and around 350 injured, CNN reported.

The victims were previously estimated at 138.

Some 300-400 people were reported missing, possibly buried under the rubble.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned that the death toll could rise as rescue teams continued the struggle to save people trapped under the rubble.

He added that 55 buildings had collapsed in the town of Erics on the north shore of Lake Van.

According to a statement of the Turkish Red Crescent, the quake tore down some 25 apartment buildings and a student dormitory located in the town.

Asked to comment on the disaster, CNN Meteorologist Reynolds Wolf said that while Turkey was "no stranger to having these seismic events", Sunday's tremors were considered major.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!