Turkey suffers a lot of earthquakes. But Sunday's was a big one. A 7.2-magnitude quake struck the eastern part of the country, killing at least 270 people. But as rescuers scramble to pull survivors from the wreckage, there are fears the death toll could rise to 1,000 or more.

Up to 80 buildings collapsed in Ercis, including a dormitory, and 10 buildings in Van, the Telegraph reported. quoting the Turkish Red Crescent.

There have long been fears that a large earthquake could strike the Turkish megacity of Istanbul. If a quake of Sunday's magnitude did strike Istanbul, which is Turkey's capital, analysts fear that the unprepared metropolis would suffer massive amounts of damage and loss of life.

Turkey has a long history of powerful earthquakes. In 1999, a quake killed about 18,000 people. Turkey straddles two massive tectonic plates: the Eurasia and the Africa/Arabia plates.

Video from the Guardian: