Turkey-Syria earthquake: Oxfam sends clean water aid

Oxfam has sent a large shipment of aid to help provide people with safe water after devastating earthquakes in Syria and Turkey.

On Monday, the charity loaded trucks at its warehouse in Bicester with about 19 tonnes of aid that helps clean water.

The trucks will transport Oxfam Jerry Buckets - disinfection tablets and equipment to test chlorine levels in drinking water - to Aleppo, Syria.

The load is part of a UK-wide appeal that raised over £100m in two weeks.

Trucks will transport aid including Jerry Buckets, disinfection tablets and chlorine level tests to Aleppo

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

Ed Blagden, who is head of Oxfam supply centre, said: "This response is a very early phase to just get the water safe somehow.

"We have been doing water tracking in the area. We've also been engaged in attempts to work with the authorities to prepare the infrastructure there which has been severely damaged."

The funds for the shipment were raised in a UK-wide appeal which raised over £100m in two weeks

Mr Blagden said that, after this phase of organising access to clean water, the Oxfam team on the ground in Syria would be organising other responses to the earthquake.

He said this could include repairing local infrastructure alongside long-term emergency water solutions, such as "providing fresh clean water in bulk for several years while the water is repaired".

The funds for the shipment were raised through a UK-wide bid for donations organised by the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) - an umbrella group of UK charities.

The campaign, launched on 9 February, has raised £101.5m with the support of celebrities including Daniel Craig, Tamsin Greig, Sir Michael Palin and Reverend Richard Coles.