06 February 2023 , 18:21
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A British takeaway boss caught up in the Turkey earthquake is desperately searching for survivors as he says many "children are dead".
Relief worker Atiqur Rahman, owner of Yahya's Indian Grill in Stoke-on-Trent, was staying at Diplomatic Office for Turkey as part of his work for charity Global Relief Trust when it hit.
The death toll has now surged to a combined figure of more than 3,000 in Turkey and Syria
In Turkey, the death toll stood at 1,762 and 1,293 in Syria, according to figures from the Damascus government.
Atiqur managed to escape, but one of his colleagues is unable to find his son who studies in the area. At the time of writing, there was no electricity, internet or mobile phone service.
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Personnel conduct search and rescue operations in Adana (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)As he searches through the rubble for survivors, he has spoken of people dead in the street and others freezing in the snow and rain as temperatures dip to minus four.
Atiqur, 37, from Burslem, has crossed the border from Syria and is currently in the city of Antakya, Turkey.
He said: "I was here to do deployment work, reports Stoke-on-Trent Live.
"We are trying to do what we can. It was 20 past four - the whole building shook. We managed to escape from the premises. One in three buildings have been totally knocked down.
"We're talking at least 500 people dead only here. The damage here is worse than it was in Syria. My colleague has a son who studies here.
Rescue men in in northwestern Syria evacuate a victim pulled out of the rubble following the earthquake (Syria Civil Defense/UPI/REX/Shutterstock)"We believe he's okay but there is no internet and the phone lines are down. The only way I can describe it is 'armageddon'. There are people stuck, screaming; children dead.
"There are people dead in the streets. There is no electricity or gas. People are building fires on street corners. It's freezing here. They're sleeping in bus shelters or under trees - anywhere away from buildings. It's so slow searching, trying to get to people.
"Trucks have come and there's some police and military. It's nowhere near what's needed. This is the worst thing I've ever seen, but this is what we do and what I'm trained for.
"I never expected it to be this bad. I've been in situations where cities have been bombed, but nothing compares to this. This is total destruction. We are talking a population of 4,000 people. Every single person is on the streets now."
Aid workers searching for survivors after a major earthquake in Turkey on February 6, 2023 (Contributed)Atiqur is encouraging people to donate to help relief efforts.
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He said: "I'd say to people to open their hearts and donate to relief charities because they're going to need it. There are food issues and no toilet facilities. There are no blankets and it's freezing.
"People are out in the streets in their pyjamas. It happened when everyone was sleeping. A lot of people were crushed and didn't manage to escape. Some buildings have gone sideways and landed on the buildings next door."