Rescue workers dug deeper into collapsed buildings in a battle against time to find survivors from an earthquake in southeast Turkey that killed hundreds and made tens of thousands homeless.

The death toll from the October 23 quake stood at 279 and hundreds more were missing. Casualties were concentrated so far in Ercis and the provincial capital Van, with officials checking outlying areas.

The Disaster and Emergency Administration said 1,301 people had been injured and 2,262 buildings had collapsed.

Residents spent the night outside as they were scared to return to homes which suffered damage in the quake.

The Turkish Red Crescent distributed up to 13,000 tents, and was preparing to provide temporary shelter for about 40,000 people, although there were no reliable estimates of the number of people left destitute.

The relief agency was criticized for failing to ensure that some of the most needy, particularly in villages, received tents as temperatures plummeted overnight, Reuters reported.