A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck the eastern sectionof Turkey on Sunday afternoon. The quake occurred ninemiles north-northeast of Van, Turkey, which has a population of372,000.

Scores of buildings have been demolished throughout the region,and close to 300 lives have been lost, according to the latestcount.

Following are some early photos of the damage left behind (clicknext to begin slideshow).

(Credit: AP Photo/ AbdurrahmanAntakyali, Aatolia) TURKEY OUT

People try to save people trapped under debris in Tabanlivillage near the city of Van on Oct. 23.

Catastrophe modeler AIR-Worldwide says that if USGS estimates ofthe magnitude of the quake remain unchanged, this would be thelargest earthquake to strike Turkey since the magnitude 7.2 Duzce earthquake in 1999, which killed close to 1,000 people.Another quake earlier that year of magnitude 7.6killed nearly 20,000 near Izmit in northwest Turkey.

(Credit: AP Photo/ AbdurrahmanAntakyali, Anatolia) TURKEY OUT

Shocked people seen in the city center of Van after theearthquake on Sunday Oct. 23.

The BBC puts the latest death toll at 265 people, withanother 1,140 injured. Catastrophe modeler RiskManagement Solutions says local officials estimate the number offatalities could rise to as high as 1,000 from thisearthquake.

(Credit: AP Photo/SelcanHacaoglu)

A man sits on a brick near the debrisof a collapsed building in the town of Ercis in Van province onMonday, Oct. 24.

Ercis and Sarmansuyu are the two closest towns to Van, and havepopulations of 92,000 and 7,000 respectively. The USGSestimates these towns would have sufferedmoderate to heavy damage from the earthquake while the populationin Van would have suffered heavy damage to structures.

(Credit: AP Photo/ Ali Ihsan Ozturk,Aatolia) TURKEY OUT

People rescue a woman trapped under debris.

According to news reports, nearly 1,000 buildings were destroyedby the earthquake and dozens of people are feared trapped.

(Credit: AP Photo/SelcanHacaoglu)

An elderly man passes by a collapsed building on Monday, Oct.24.

Catastrophe modelers have not provided loss estimates yet,saying that more time is needed to compile information. RMS says inthe Van region, the Turkish Catastrophe Insurance Pool (TCIP),which covers only earthquakes, provides insurance to coverapproximately 7 percent of dwellings.

The TCIP relies on risk retention and reinsurance, retaining thefirst $80 million of losses and transfers excess losses to theinternational reinsurance markets.