Rishi Sunak joins volunteers at earthquake donation centre

The Prime Minister helped students pack items at the centre, as well as donating hats, scarves and blankets.

Rishi Sunak called the scenes from the aftermath of the Turkey and Syria earthquake “heart-breaking” as he helped students at a donation centre set up after the disaster.

The Prime Minister met University College London (UCL) students in the capital on Thursday evening, helping pack items at the centre and donating hats, scarves and blankets.

The 7.8-magnitude quake which hit on Monday has killed more than 19,000 people, with the UK Government pledging to match £5 million in funds raised through an appeal to help the rescue and relief effort.

At the centre in central London, set up by students from the UCL Turkish Society, Mr Sunak praised volunteers.

“It’s been amazing to spend time with the students here at UCL who have come together to organise donations,” he told reporters.

“People in Turkey are affected by this awful tragedy and I’m sure this has been replicated across the country.

“It’s really hard, actually, to comprehend the scale of the tragedy that has happened.

“I as a dad, watching parents try and find their young children in the rubble, is heart-breaking.

“And we will do everything that we can to help Turkey.”

The initial tremor hit the Turkish city of Gaziantep in the early hours of Monday, reducing thousands of homes and buildings across the south of the country and northern Syria to rubble as people slept.

A series of aftershocks has left tens of thousands of people injured, with survivors feared trapped under thousands of collapsed buildings.

Eda Yildirimkaya, 21, who is president of the UCL Turkish Society, told the PA new agency the students have received 200 boxes filled with donated items which will be sent to a warehouse.

She said: “The Prime Minister gave us beanies, blankets, gloves, hats, that kind of thing, which were really good quality.

“They will keep someone safe and warm, for sure.

“He congratulated us for what we are doing and spoke about some of the work the UK is doing.”

Togay Ata Gökalp, 20, said: “To have the Prime Minister congratulate our hard work was really amazing- I’m sure it will push us all harder.”