Turkey Earthquake 2011: As Hundreds Feared Dead in 7.2 Quake, Where Is Turkish Government?

Eastern Turkey is still being ravaged by the 7.2 magnitude quake that hit at 1:41 local time today, ending 2011 with hundreds believed dead and countless survivors still trapped beneath the rubble. Here, see raw footage of the start of the quake, and video and photos of residents helping rescue workers save lives and seek shelter, as the temperature drops below zero and the death toll continues to grow.

Initial footage taken by a survivor on Oct. 23. The video was posted on youtube.com shortly after news of the earthquake ravaging eastern Turkey began to spread. Initially, the number of those killed were completely unknown, and the magnitude of the quake fluctuated between a 7.2 and a 7.6 magnitude.As the effects and aftershocks of Sunday morning's 7.2 magnitude earthquake ravages the provinces of

Ercis and Van in eastern Turkey, many local residents are calling on the Turkish government for aid. Many of the residents are nearing panic as collapsed buildings, continuous aftershocks and felled power lines combine with a feared death toll approaching one thousand, with approximately one hundred deaths confirmed thus far in the natural disaster.A desperate rescue operation is continuing today in a bid to contain the death toll following a powerful earthquake in eastern Turkey.

The 7.2-magnitude tremor devastated parts of Van province in the east of the country, collapsing hundreds of buildings into piles of twisted steel and chunks of concrete.

In the immediate aftermath of the quake desperate survivors dug into the rubble with their bare hands, trying to rescue the trapped and injured.

The worst hit area was Ercis, a town of 75,000 close to the Iranian border in one of Turkey's most earthquake-prone zones, where more than 100 buildings have collapsed.