Follow the latest news on the earthquake in Turkey and Syria
Humanitarian charities in the UK are to launch an appeal to raise funds for people affected by the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.
A joint rapid response by 14 charities including the British Red Cross, Oxfam and Save the Children is being co-ordinated by the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) as the death toll from the disaster rises above 17,000.
The UK government will match any donations made by the public, said Foreign Secretary James Cleverly.
“When disasters like these terrible earthquakes strike, we know the British people want to help,” he said.
“They have shown time and again that few are more generous and compassionate.
“That is why we are match-funding public donations to DEC’s appeal to provide urgent humanitarian assistance, as part of a wider package of support from the UK that will be used to provide life-saving interventions to those who need it most in the region.”
The first 7.8-magnitude quake hit the Turkish city of Gaziantep in the early hours of Monday, reducing thousands of homes and buildings across the south of the country and northern Syria to rubble as people slept.
A series of aftershocks has left tens of thousands injured and survivors are feared trapped under thousands of collapsed buildings.
Salah Saeed, the DEC’s chief executive, said funds were “urgently needed” to deal with the “heartbreaking” situation.
“In Turkey alone, 6,000 buildings including schools and health centres have collapsed, with infrastructure vital to everyday life such as sanitation and water supplies badly damaged,” he said.
European rescue teams head to Turkey and Syria — in pictures
-
Members of International Search and Rescue Germany board a charter plane with a search dog at Cologne-Bonn airport, Germany. Reuters -
Members of the Dutch search and rescue team USAR arrive at Eindhoven Air Base to board a cargo plane. AFP -
Fifty members of the HUNOR Hungarian Rescue Team in Budapest prepare to depart for Turkey. EPA -
Greek firefighters with rescue dogs wait to board a military plane at Elefsina Air Force Base, in western Athens, Greece. AP -
Czech urban search and rescue firefighters at Leos Janacek Airport in Czech Republic. AP -
Members of International Search and Rescue Germany at Cologne-Bonn airport, Germany. Reuters -
Swiss team with rescue dogs at Zurich Airport. EPA -
A Greek rescue team departs from Elefsina military airport to arrive at the Incirlik airport base in Turkey. EPA -
Spanish firefighters with their equipment at Barajas international airport in Madrid, Spain. AP -
Romanian rescue workers arrive at the military airbase near Bucharest, Romania, for a last briefing before being sent to southern Turkey. EPA
“Funds are urgently needed to support families with medical aid, emergency shelter, food and clean water in freezing, snowy conditions.”
Relief efforts have been hampered by damaged infrastructure, freezing winter temperatures and limited medical facilities.
The DEC said it expects humanitarian needs to grow over the coming days, with access to shelter, clean water and warmth all potential risks.
Salah Aboulgasem, who is working with charity Islamic Relief in Gazientep, said there is “a lot of screaming” in the devastated areas.
Humanitarian aid and rescue teams being sent to Turkey and Syria — in pictures
-
Humanitarian aid relief packages provided by Saudi Arabia being unloaded at Aleppo International Airport in northern Syria. AFP -
An airline worker loads boxes filled with donations onto a Turkish Airlines aircraft at Dulles International Airport in Dulles, Virginia. AFP -
Syrian workers help to take the food supplied off the plane. Mahmoud Rida / The National -
Displaced people lineup to receive aid supplies at a makeshift camp, in Iskenderun city, southern Turkey. AP -
Belarusians collect humanitarian aid for earthquake survivors. AFP -
Volunteers of a local non-government organisation 'Pomozi. ba' help sort and pack donations, in Sarajevo, capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina. AFP -
Hundreds of boxes with relief aid are gathered at the municipality of Thessaloniki, in Greece. AFP -
Nazli Goksoi helps sort donations at the Turkish Embassy in Washington, DC. AFP -
Men in Cairo prepare blankets and clothes to be donated to people in Turkey. Reuters -
Iraqi security forces with humanitarian aid from Red Crescent meant for the affected people in Syria, at a military airbase near Baghdad International Airport. AP -
South Korean firefighters gather before leaving for Turkey to help earthquake victims. AFP -
Algerian rescue teams arrive at Aleppo International Airport. AFP -
Humanitarian aid for earthquake victims at a collecting point in Berlin. EPA -
Umur Zamanoglu, a Turkish search and rescue team leader, outside Adana Airport. Reuters -
Humanitarian aid to be sent to Turkey at Al Udeid air base in Qatar. AFP -
Crews from the Los Angeles County Fire Department, including these firefighters from Pacoima, are joining a USAid mission to Turkey to assist with earthquake recovery efforts. EPA -
Equipment belonging to Los Angeles County Fire Department teams is ready for the USAid mission to Turkey. EPA -
At a military airbase near Baghdad International Airport, Iraqi security forces prepare Red Crescent shipments for Syria to support survivors of the earthquake. Reuters -
Ground crews in Baghdad load a Red Crescent cargo into a plane that will leave for the earthquake zone in northern Syria. Reuters -
Red Crescent shipments from Iraq are sent to Syria, where many earthquake survivors have lived through civil war in the past 11 years. Reuters -
Members of The Olive Branches humanitarian aid delegation of the Israel Defence Forces prepare to fly from Israel to Turkey to assist in earthquake-stricken south. Reuters -
The international earthquake response at work as relief supplies from Swiss Humanitarian Aid are loaded on a plane to earthquake-hit Turkey at Zurich Airport. EPA -
Members of International Search and Rescue Germany board a charter plane at Cologne-Bonn Airport on their way to help find survivors of the earthquake in Turkey. Reuters -
Relief supplies for earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria stand packed on Turmstrasse in the Moabit neighbourhood of Berlin. AP -
Turkish residents of Berlin, with one the world's largest communities outside of Turkey, collect bags and boxes with warm clothes and other goods for a Turkish nursing service. Reuters -
Polish firefighters at Rescue and Fire Fighting Unit No 9 in Lodz prepare to travel to Turkey. EPA -
In Otopeni near Bucharest, Romanian rescue workers prepare for operations in southern Turkey. EPA -
A Romanian rescue worker and search dog at a briefing before flying to southern Turkey to help local authorities in their rescue missions after the earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria. EPA
“The priority right now is saving lives by clearing the rubble,” he said.
“The next priority is supporting people who have lost their homes and gone through huge trauma.
“People need medicines and warmth. There is a lot of screaming, people are trying to find relatives.
“A lot of people are sleeping in cars because they are scared to go back into the buildings due to aftershocks. The cars are freezing cold.”
Turkish president declares a three-month state of emergency — video
The appeal was launched as the UK government pledged to send “life-saving” equipment to Turkey and Syria.
The UK government announced on Wednesday that it was providing thousands of medical kits, tents and blankets to help survivors amid freezing temperatures in both countries.
“The UK is sending life-saving kit to Turkey and Syria,” said Foreign Secretary James Cleverly.
“This will include vital medical expertise and hygiene kits and also tents and blankets to help people keep warm and sheltered in the terrible freezing conditions they are having to endure on top of the devastation of the earthquakes.
“Our priority is to ensure life-saving assistance is given to those most in need, co-ordinated with the Turkish government, UN and international partners.”
The UK is also sending medics, having already flown a team of 76 search-and-rescue specialists, complete with state-of-the-art equipment and four specially trained dogs to the countries.
