Turkey-Syria earthquake: Communities in the East rally to support families

Salman Barli, second left, the owner of Sark in Maldon, said people from all over Essex had offered help and money

Turkish communities in the East of England are rallying to fundraise and send supplies to families affected by the devastating earthquakes.

Many Turkish nationals living in the UK have spoken of personal loss in the disaster, including a chef in Essex who lost seven members of his family.

On Sunday the Maldon restaurant where he works is asking diners to donate the cost of their meals to relief efforts.

Owner Salman Barli said: "We are trying to do whatever we can to help."

"At the moment it is a very bad situation there, people have nothing to eat, no water, there is no heating and it is freezing cold - everyone is just trying to survive."

The disaster in Turkey and Syria has left communities devastated

"People are phoning us; people want to donate money. We are getting quite a lot of help from Maldon and from all of Essex.

"One of my chefs has lost seven members of his family.

"We are hoping there will be no more but they still can't get hold of some of their family.

"We are a small business just trying to get as much as we can for them; a lorry at least with basic needs, nappies, baby food, water and blankets for people."

The Sark restaurant will provide meals on Sunday in exchange for donations for the relief effort

It is believed more than 11,000 people in southern Turkey and northern Syria have died after two earthquakes hit the region on Monday.

A major international operation is under way to rescue people trapped in the rubble of fallen buildings and tower blocks.

Pamuk Guner, of the Luton Turkish Community Association, said the team there was "doing as much as we can to heal their problems".

"I don't know if my words will be able to describe the amount of donations and help and support we've got from all around the UK - it's amazing," she said.

"About 10 different areas in Turkey have been affected really badly by the earthquakes.

"We've been so overwhelmed with the amount of stuff that has been coming in, we're just trying to sort them out and get them as quickly as we can to Turkey.

"We need warm winter clothing, blankets, first aid, baby products, nappies and the weather conditions aren't helping at all.

"We had over 200 boxes last night and 200 boxes the day before that and we've still got more to come. I thank everyone.

"The community has been helping in so many ways; so many phone calls and mails - 'What can we do to help?'"

Alex Macbeth, of MAP Action, said emergency team needed accurate information on the ground

Alex Macbeth, of MAP Action in Norfolk, said the charity had been helping search and rescue teams in Turkey.

The humanitarian mapping charity provides data for disaster relief agencies on the ground that are leading emergency responses.

It has been called on to help by the UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination team (UNDAC) - and three members have already arrived in Istanbul to support the international search and rescue operation.

"Search and rescue operators need real, accurate maps in order to find as many people alive as possible; maps of collapsed buildings, of search constraints, roads, hospitals, transport hubs - we've already begun mapping those," he said.

"This a cross-border disaster, in an area with active conflict, with strong migration flows, lots of informal settlements. This is not an easy task."

MAP Action supports teams on the ground with accurate mapping of disaster scenes and local resources

He said mapping would allow agencies on the ground to understand where to search, and where to concentrate and allocate resources.

The charity has carried out more than 130 emergency deployments in the last 20 years and is also appealing for funding to keep its work going.