Turkey-Syria earthquake: UK aid appeal raises £32.9m

A UK appeal to help the earthquake survivors in Turkey and Syria has raised nearly £33m on its first day.

The appeal by a collection of aid agencies was launched by the Disasters Emergency Committee and broadcast on television on Thursday evening.

DEC said the British public had donated £27.9m so far. The government had pledged to match the first £5m of donations, taking the total to £32.9m.

The King and Queen Consort were also thanked for a "generous donation".

The Prince and Princess of Wales are also supporting the appeal.

William and Kate tweeted they were "horrified to see the harrowing images" in the aftermath of the earthquakes and their thoughts were with the affected communities.

More than 21,000 people are now known to have died in the double earthquakes which struck southern Turkey and northern Syria in the early hours of Monday morning - with that number expected to rise still further.

The British Red Cross, Oxfam and ActionAid are among the charities to have joined together to raise money for the many injured and homeless, whose lives have been devastated by the natural disaster.

Andrew Mitchell, the development minister, said the "extraordinary" sum raised so far was testament to the "kindness" of ordinary people.

The Scottish government is also contributing £500,000, with the DEC Scotland officially launching its appeal on Thursday.

Thousands of buildings, including hospitals and schools, have collapsed and infrastructure in the region, including roads and energy supplies, has been badly damaged by the massive earthquakes.

According to the Turkish government, 380,000 people have sought refuge in government shelters or hotels.

Buildings have also collapsed in north-west Syria - in an area which was already inhospitable and inaccessible after more than a decade of civil war, and where medical facilities are severely limited.

Some of those in the region, who were living in tents after fleeing conflict, are now hosting people whose homes have been destroyed by the quake.

The DEC estimates there are 17 million people impacted, many of them left without shelter in freezing winter conditions. It believes the recovery effort will take years.

"The stories we are now hearing from the survivors who have managed to escape the ruins of flattened and crumpled buildings without shoes and coats in the depths of winter are desperately sad," said Saleh Saaed, DEC chief executive.

In the coming days, the Committee said access to clean water was likely to be difficult and waterborne diseases would be a hazard.

On Thursday evening, a military transport plane carrying humanitarian aid, including thousands of thermal blankets, left the UK bound for Turkey.

Further emergency aid will include a field hospital including a 24/7 operating theatre.