'There's always hope' - Life-saving rescuers leave Stansted Airport for earthquake hit Turkey

• ITV News Anglia's Callum Fairhurst spoke to volunteers before their flight as they left to assist following the deadly earthquake in Turkey

Dozens of volunteers have flown out to the earthquake zone in Turkey as part of a life-saving rescue mission.

The flight, from Stansted airport to Istanbul, was packed with rescue equipment, to find people buried in the rubble, and medical supplies to treat any survivors.

Search and rescue volunteers told ITV News Anglia they were determined to play their part to save lives and spread hope following Monday's magnitude 7.8 earthquake and a series of aftershocks.

Jay McNeal from Chelmsford is part of the Serve On rescue team, he said: “We’re still seeing lots of pictures of people being rescued alive from buildings.

"There’s always hope. That’s why we’re going. If there are people trapped we’re going to go and find them."

Sakthy Selvakumaran from Cambridge is part of the SARAID rescue team, she said: “A life is a human life so it’s always worth doing [rescue work].

"I’m a structural engineer so I’m there to help keep people safe in this kind of situation with an evolving risk and see if we can get a few more people out."

The death toll is said to have risen to 19,800 on Thursday, making it one of the world's deadliest earthquakes in more than a decade.

A team of eight volunteers from SARAID flew to Turkey on Tuesday where they were involved in the rescue of a mum and child who were trapped in the rubble.

Alex Rogers, 36, a structural volunteer from Stansted in Essex, was part of the team and described how the rescue unfolded.

"We spent the whole evening tunnelling through the rubble, using the local workforce to assist with excavators," he said.

"We managed to dig down to the basement level, and made contact with two people using our search cameras."

The team made contact and sent them water while they worked on getting access to them.

He added: "This took a few hours and then eventually we managed to get the two people out - a mother and a six-year-old girl. So it was quite an emotional scene."

The disaster has sparked grassroots movements in communities across the region to gather donations.

Arzu Bayrak from Luton Education and Culture Association said the community has rallied to provide donations.

Ms Bayrak said: “People just want to help. We haven’t got close families there but that’s not important. What’s important is that they’re humans. 

"We don’t even get tired. We go home, get a few hours' sleep, then we’re back here to get going again."

Organisations are now urging people to donate essential items that are needed.

Many are asking for items including coats, boots, jumpers, trousers, gloves, scarves, socks, underwear, tens, bedding, tents, blankets, sleeping bags, flasks, torches (without batteries), canned food, nappies, sanitary pads and cleaning products.

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