UK rescue workers heading to Turkey after quake

British hunt and rescue specialists are travelling to Turkey to assistance hunt for survivors pursuing the earthquake that has killed implicit 2,300 people.

A squad of 76 rescuers is flying to Turkey connected Monday evening.

Two 7.8 and 7.5 magnitude quakes person devastated parts of Turkey and Syria, reducing galore buildings to rubble.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said the interaction of the quakes was "on a standard that we person not seen for rather immoderate time".

More than 10,000 radical are thought to person been injured.

No Britons had yet been reported dormant successful the disaster, said Mr Cleverly.

The British rescue squad "should beryllium connected the crushed soon to springiness the Turkish authorities the assistance that they request to effort to prevention arsenic galore lives arsenic possible", helium said.

The UK is besides sending specializer equipment, 4 specially trained dogs and a squad of exigency medics successful what Downing Street said was "very overmuch the archetypal response".

No 10 said the authorities was looking astatine ways it could enactment humanitarian enactment successful northwest Syria, and that its archetypal attack would beryllium to enactment done the United Nations (UN).

Turkey's catastrophe bureau said much than 1,500 radical had died there, portion it is estimated that 810 radical died successful Syria.

Those numbers are inactive expected to emergence arsenic rescuers comb done mountains of rubble successful freezing, snowy weather.

The president of the British Turkish Association said helium had been "inundated" with calls from radical disquieted astir loved ones.

Attila Ustun described it arsenic a "heartbreaking" time for Turks everyplace and said determination was "a precise ample connection" betwixt the Turkish communities successful eastbound and northbound London and the country wherever the quake struck.

He continued: "Some were calved successful those cities and towns that are present a catastrophe zone."

Mr Ustun said radical from Turkish backgrounds had been reaching retired aft learning household members had died, including "one man successful Bedfordshire who has mislaid 3 of his uncles successful 1 property".

He added: "I've been inundated, I had 1 woman successful London crying her eyes retired and saying that fractional of her colony is present rubble.

"People are ringing maine asking what they tin bash to help."

The British Turkish Association is taking donations, peculiarly wintertime clothes, astatine antithetic points crossed the UK.

Countries astir the satellite person pledged oregon offered enactment for operations successful southeast Turkey and bluish Syria pursuing the disaster.

Other charities are besides launching appeals, including The British Red Cross.

Its main executive, Mike Adamson, said it was "shocking" to spot the standard of demolition caused by this earthquake with homes, hospitals and roads destroyed crossed the region.

"The precedence close present is rescuing radical from the rubble and Red Cross Red Crescent teams are connected the crushed successful Syria and Turkey providing urgent enactment during these captious hours."