A regional daily journalist has shared her “heartbreak” after her family and friends were caught up in the earthquake in Turkey and Syria.

Lauren Hill, who works for the Wolverhampton Express & Star, has written of how her grandparents’ neighbours lost 30 relatives to the disaster, which has so far claimed 47,000 lives.

Lauren, pictured, revealed how she had been one of the “lucky few” after her grandparents replied to her text message to say they were safe.

The couple live in a third-storey flat around 200 miles from where the earthquake hit.

In a column for the Express & Star about the tragedy, Lauren wrote: “Our neighbours, Elif and Mehmet, lost 30 of their relatives – their son Nuri would have been one of them.

“He went to visit his auntie and uncle in Gaziantep with his wife and children. Not long after they arrived, his father Mehmet had a fatal heart attack. Nuri and his wife and children rushed back to Anamur to be with him and Elif.

“That same night, his auntie’s house in Gaziantep collapsed, killing everyone inside – his auntie, uncle and cousins. Nuri’s family had been there just hours before. Such tragedy is incomprehensible.

“Another of our friends, Fatma, lives on the 10th storey of an apartment block in Adana with her children and husband.

“Their building was swaying from side to side, their furniture sliding across the floor. They had to get to a big, metal exit door to hold it open, or they would have become trapped.

“It was an almost impossible task – Fatma said it was like climbing a steep hill and immediately sliding down the other side. When the swaying ceased for a very brief moment the father ran to the door.

“They all escaped with minor injuries, but the building was badly cracked and too dangerous for them to return.”

The World Health Organization has estimated 26 million people need assistance across both countries.

Lauren added: “Such a beautiful country has been left in ruins, and will be for a long time.

“Residents, especially in smaller towns, face the punishing challenge to rebuild what can be replaced, and live with the pain of losing what was irreplaceable.

“Lying awake, I feel guilty. I have such privilege here, that I’ve never even worried about an earthquake, or that I’ll be a victim to such a ruthless disaster.

“Small towns will struggle for the resources and money that they desperately need to even begin to recover.

“Such sheer loss is unimaginable for me sitting here in the UK. My heart breaks for every single person in Turkey and Syria.”