Middlesbrough man 'very worried' about family after losing contact with them during Pakistan floods
Watch Kris Jepson's Video Report.
A Muslim man from Teesside has told ITV News Tyne Tees he is "very worried" about his family after he lost contact with them during the Pakistan floods.
Attending Friday prayers at the Jamia Masjid Al-Madina Mosque in Middlesbrough, he said he was grateful to members of the congregation for raising money to provide aid to Pakistan.
He said: "Very worrying. They are trying to get hold of them by other ways, by contacting the army, trying to give them the names and locations and everything and they are looking out for them.
"The rain is continuous and the only way to get there is through helicopters. I mean it’s a big danger for anybody else who tries to go and help them."
More than £16,000 has been raised at the mosque, as hundreds of Muslims donated what spare cash they had during the prayer service.
Spokesman for the Mosque, Najabat Ramzan, said it was important for the Muslim community to do all they could to support the 33 million people of Pakistan affected by the monsoon rains.
He said: "The idea is to raise money today and send it across to Pakistan to send for people so they can buy tents, they can buy medications, they can buy food.
"Just the basic daily needs that they need and hopefully that money that we send across will help some people across there.
He added: "People are really, really worried for their loved ones, who they cannot get in touch with them and they cannot speak to them because the internet is down, there is no electric, and there is no way of communication, so people are massively worried."
Another worshipper, Haji Jaber, said he was "proud" of the wider community of Middlesbrough for pulling together, saying people of all faiths have donated money to the cause.
He said: "This is not just the Muslim community, but the wider community, because really it’s a humanitarian.
"As humans we have empathy for other humans who are in trouble, whether it’s in Ukraine, whether it’s in Pakistan, wherever it is.
He added: "We’re all human at the end of the day, and we see other children suffering and we see other mothers and fathers going through a struggle, we need to help."