Perthshire people rally to get aid to Turkish earthquake zone

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Harrowing reports of devastation from the earthquake zone in southern Turkey and northern Syria have prompted action from people in Perth.Local people have left their work to drive donations of essential aid to a depot in Edinburgh while others frantically contact friends and family to hear if they are okay.And Tesco in Perth's Edinburgh Road has responded with its own collection of vital stock items like nappies and wipes.On Monday at 4.17am local time a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Turkey near the city of Gaziantep, devastating parts of Turkey and Syria.

It was followed by a series of powerful aftershocks.Then at 1.24pm local time, a second earthquake of 7.5 magnitude hit the Elbistan district around 80 miles north of Gaziantep.Reports suggest that over 20,000 have been killed as hundreds of buildings collapsed, and figures for dead and injured continue to rise.The Turkish Red Crescent (Kizilay) has launched a crisis response operation and mobilised teams in more than 10 regions across the country, while the Syrian Arab Red Crescent is delivering assistance and support to those in need in the regions of Hama, Aleppo and Lattakia.In Perth, owner of Ada Turkish Barber Shop at 41 High Street, Omer Akkaya (35) and his wife Emine (32), who works at the cafe at Tesco in Edinburgh Road, are shocked by what has happened.He told the PA: “My family come from Istanbul and the Black Sea area, so I’m not directly affected.“But I’ve learned that one of my old, old school friends has died in a collapsed building.“Another friend and his family are still in a building damaged by the quake.

It’s terrible. Hard to accept this has happened.”Omer continues to work and local residents have asked what they can do to help.The barber shop