At least 366 people died when a 7.2 magnitude earthquake rocked the eastern Van province, a mainly Kurdish region near the Iranian border.

The tremor hit on Sunday, four days after a Kurdish rebel attack in southeastern Turkey killed 24 soldiers and injured 18 others -- the army's heaviest toll since 1993.

Some journalists were hurt after being pelted by stones and police used pepper gas to disperse the angry crowd in the main city on Tuesday after a well-known television presenter criticisized Kurds' appeals for help.

"(They) hurl stones when they want and hunt (soldiers) in the mountains like birds. And after something happens they ask for the help of police and soldiers... Everyone should know their limits," media reports quoted presenter Muge Anli as saying.

Another broadcaster, anchorwoman, Duygu Canbas said on one of the main news channels that Turkey was sorry for the victims of the tremor "even though" it happened in Van.

Some reactions have also appeared on social media sites including Twitter and Facebook hailing the tremor as the price of the attacks carried out by Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) rebels.

"PKK poured blood. That's God's wrath on Van ... God does what the Turkish Republic could not do," one of the comments said.

Many others went online to call for both Anli and Canbas to resign. Canbas later apologized, saying she was misunderstood.

Turkey's military launched air and land operations against the PKK following last week's attack.

Clashes between the rebels and the army have escalated since the summer.

The PKK, listed as a terrorist organisation by Turkey and much of the international community, took up arms for Kurdish independence in southeastern Turkey in 1984, sparking a conflict that has claimed some 45,000 lives.