A barber from the Cotswolds has rushed to London to raise cash to fund a flight to help family members injured and homeless following the Turkish earthquake disaster.

Two huge earthquakes and a series of aftershocks hit Turkey, Syria and the surrounding region.

According to the latest figures, more than 11,000 people have been killed and there is widespread destruction.

Mehmet Aksahin, manager of Cousinz barber shop in Witney, has family in the Turkish city of Gaziantep, a provincial capital about 20 miles from the epicentre of the first earthquake.

It was registered as 7.8, classified as "major" on the official magnitude scale when it struck in the early hours of February 6.

Cotswold Journal:

Today he is in London gathering with family to pool their resources to pay for someone to fly out to Turkey tonight and help their relatives.

He said: “My grandfather has damaged his head. My wife has lost her cousin and kids. They live in Gaziantep in the south east."

Residents of the city, which is home to 2million people, are taking refuge in shopping malls, stadiums, mosques and community centres.

Mr Aksahin said: “We have been watching the TV. My wife is very upset. Everyone is outside and it’s freezing cold. It's been snowing and it's raining. It’s really bad out there.

Cotswold Journal:

“We’re meeting up together in London to give someone cash to go tonight to help our family.”

He said Cousinz, a family run chain of barbers shops in Witney and Carterton, would be involved in collections and seeking donations in the coming days.

Another barber at the Witney shop said: "My family is a bit further away and we did manage to speak to them.

"It's terrible. It's really sad. Some of us here had family near the place. The Turkish community will be coming together now."

In Turkey, more than 8,500 people are confirmed to have died, with tens of thousands injured and thousands of buildings destroyed.