Turkey earthquake: Gloucestershire aid mission 'overwhelming'

The aid shipment was organised and driven there by a group from Gloucestershire

Two lorries have arrived in Turkey, carrying aid from Gloucestershire residents for people devastated by the recent earthquakes.

The shipment was organised and driven by Gloucester City Councillor Alastair Chambers, Sahin Tuncel, Dave Stewart, his son Daniel and Martin Humphreys.

Cllr Chambers said the aid mission was "overwhelming".

Major earthquakes hit Turkey and Syria on 6 February, killing more than 44,000 people and injuring more than 100,000.

Mr Chambers said the group were shown around the village of Hatay Hassa Aktepe, where many of the buildings were completely reduced to rubble, reported the Local Democracy Reporting Services (LDRS).

People in Gloucestershire donated clothes, medicines and essentials to help people in Turkey

He said there were "many sad stories of families who have lost everyone" from villagers staying at a refugee camp.

He said one young mother with her baby lost her husband, brother-in-law, mother, father and sister all in the same night.

'Emergency services overwhelmed'

"The family home and all their belongings have gone. All she has is the clothes she's wearing and her baby," said Mr Chambers.

He said they were able to give her baby clothes, food and medicine from the aid collected in Gloucestershire.

"In some cases people are having to pull their neighbours' bodies out of houses because the emergency services have not been able to get to the villages in the mountains," he added.

Mr Chambers said there were 400 people in the refugee camp and on receiving aid, they saw "sad faces [turn] to happy faces".,

"It has been overwhelming [and] it would not have been possible without the support of the people of Gloucester," he added.

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