Caring Britons donate millions to help

BRITONS have donated more than 50million to support victims of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria which has claimed more than 25,000 lives.

- Marco Giannangeli

The 7.8 magnitude quake, the most devastating to have hit the region since 1939, has left hospitals struggling to cope with 80,000 injured men, women and children.

More than a million people have lost their homes, with many struggling to cope with freezing conditions at night.

The Disasters Emergency Committee DEC), which brings together 15 leading UK aid charities, last night revealed it had raised 53million since Wednesday, when it launched its nationwide appeal.

The figure includes 5million from the UK Government.

Survivors were still being located yesterday. In Antakya, rescue workers pulled 13-year-old Arda Can Ovun from the ruins of a building after 128 hours, wrapping him in foil and bracing his neck as he was lifted free from the ground on a stretcher.

And in the eastern city of Diyarbakir, a 55-year-old woman was pulled from the rubble.

However, another woman who had been rescued on Friday in Kirikhan died in hospital yesterday.