A regional daily journalist has flown to Turkey in a bid to help those impacted by the earthquake that has claimed more than 48,000 lives.

Southern Daily Echo community reporter Shivalika Puri took the decision to visit the country after running stories about people in Southampton who have been fundraising to help the survivors.

Shivalika, pictured, flew to the city of Gaziantep while on annual leave and has reported on what she witnessed for the Echo.

In a first-person piece, she said she had felt “slightly nervous and scared” about taking the trip.

Shivalika wrote: “I had no fixer or translator and solely relied on Google Translate.

“I knew this would be a very challenging task due to language barriers, but all I wanted was to give people back home a sense of what was going on.

“After arriving in Gaziantep, I headed to a city called Nurdagi the next day. And what I saw was unbelievable and soul-crushing.

“The 7.8 magnitude earthquake tore down tall buildings and destroyed people’s livelihoods. This event has been described by the Turkish president as the ‘disaster of the century.'”

Shivalika spoke to and photographer survivors of the earthquake for her piece, but was herself forced to evacuate her hotel when a 6.3 magnitude aftershock hit the area.

She added: “Following other residents, I made my way to a nearby park, where I took refuge with a Syrian family. They welcomed me with open arms and offered me food and water.

“This selfless act was just a timely reminder of why it’s important to collaborate in times of crisis.”