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Turkey earthquake: Appeal receives hundreds of donations

ERDEM SAHIN/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock Damage from the earthquake in TurkeyERDEM SAHIN/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock
More than 5,000 people have been killed in the 7.8 magnitude quake that hit Turkey and Syria

Hundreds of donations have been sent to a Nottingham charity to help people affected by a serious earthquake that devastated parts of Turkey and Syria.

More than 5,000 people have been killed in the 7.8 magnitude quake that hit both countries on Monday.

A number of volunteers helping the collection are yet to hear from friends and family.

Ali Topaloglu, head of the Nottingham Turkish Community, said people were "in shock" following the disaster.

Rescue workers are still battling to find people trapped in collapsed buildings across southern Turkey and northern Syria.

And Foreign Secretary James Cleverly told the Commons on Tuesday that three British nationals were missing.

Mr Topaloglu told the BBC his family were among those directly affected, with some immediate family killed.

He said: "It's shocking. I cannot find the words to describe the situation... it's devastating news."

The Nottingham Turkish Community's campaign is based at the city's Bazaar cash and carry, where volunteers are sorting out donations, which will be flown over to Turkey.

Ali Topaloglu, 45, head of Nottingham Turkish Community
Ali Topaloglu, 45, head of the Nottingham Turkish Community, helped organise the collection

Mr Topaloglu added they were still looking for donations of warm clothes, blanket and nappies among other essential items.

"As a community we have a great spirit here, so immediately we used social media very effectively to gather all these people together," he said.

"I'm so grateful for especially these people from all different walks of life for donating to us, for supporting us in these harsh times."

Dicle Aslan, 24
Dicle Aslan, 24, said she was still hoping some friends and family in Turkey would confirm they were safe

Dicle Aslan, 24, who works for Nottingham Bazaar Cash & Carry, said she still had friends and family in Turkey who had not been able to get in touch.

"It's a very worrying time," she said.

"We are not sleeping and are constantly on our phones trying to see if they are active on their social media, if they're going to call us, if they're going to let us know if they're safe or not.

"We're just hoping that they will."

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