Turkey earthquake: Shelterbox in race against time on aid supplies

The city of Adiyaman north of Gaziantep, had been completely devastated said Martin Strutton from Shelterbox

A Cornish disaster relief charity says it is working against the clock to get aid into Turkey and Syria.

Martin Strutton, from Shelterbox, which supplies tents, blankets, lighting and stoves, said supply lines were in danger of being "choked".

He said the charity, which has a team in Gaziantep, Turkey, had supplied 500 tents and a further 1,000 will support relief efforts in Syria.

The devastating earthquakes have claimed more than 44,000 lives.

A Shelterbox team has been co-ordinating aid from quake-hit Gaziantep

Mr Strutton told BBC News: "We managed to move some items in quite quickly, we strategically position stock around the world, so we were able to get just over 500 tents into Turkey pretty quickly and another 1,000 are on their way to north west Syria.

"Now the humanitarian response is wrapping up and undoubtedly over the coming weeks those supply lines are going to get choked, so we are trying to get equipment in as quickly as we can in order to get ahead of that game a little bit."

'Devastated'

The charity was working with local agencies and partners including Rotarians on "where we can get aid in" and "what people need, where they need it and in what quantity", he said.

"We can hopefully make some quick decisions and try to get under the wire before those supply chains get clogged up," Mr Strutton added.

"So far we have been successful in moving stock in."

He said that he had worked in a number of earthquake zones but had "never seen anything of this scale".

The city of Adiyaman, north of Gaziantep, had been "completely devastated," he said.

"You are looking at 12-storey buildings completely levelled.

"It's incredible to see the extent of the damage that has taken place there."

Supplies such as stoves "might seem basic to us but for people in that situation it is a start," he said.

"It's a little bit of dignity to help get them back on their feet."

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