Tamer Hassan was emotional as he revealed members of his family were lost in the earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria early Feb. 6. The British-Turkish actor, best known for his role in The Football Factory, is raising £100,000 for humanitarian support. Hassan, 54, told Sky News that some of his family members are “missing.”We have family missing. Due to the cold weather, we’re not hopeful… we’re quite worried,” he said. “I have no words.” He continued: “We’re all devastated. We have family that are lost. I’ll be heading to Turkey, we’re trying to find a route into the worst affected areas.”Afterward, Hassan clarified his comments by telling the reporter, “We have family missing that haven’t been found. Due to the cold weather, we’re not hopeful. We’re quite worried,” he said, fighting back tears. Hassan said, “The biggest distress for me is that there are some areas that have been completely flattened and with no help. “That’s our biggest fear.”
He told the reporter he was trying to pinpoint the areas “where the most help is needed,” adding: “We’re reaching out to everyone around the world, everybody that can see what’s happening here with this humanitarian disaster. “We’re just holding our hands out for everybody to help as much as they can. As I said before we have family there. People dying.” The areas affected by the disaster are “desperate” for manpower and supplies, said Hassan, who lives in London. Based on footage he had seen, he described areas as “flattened” with people trapped under rocks. In addition to appearing in The Football Factory opposite Danny Dyer, the boxer-turned-actor starred in Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins and Layer Cake with Daniel Craig. He has a daughter, Belle, 24, a make-up artist who appeared on Love Island in 2019.
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Powerful aftershocks followed the earthquake, and thousands of buildings across Turkey and northern Syria collapsed as people slept. In a report published on Cumhuriyet, the Disaster Management Authority (AFAD) reported that the death toll had reached 12,391 by Feb. 9. As rescuers continue to pull bodies from the rubble, the overall death toll has now reached 15,000, and there have been 62,914 injuries. According to seismologist Carlo Doglioni, president of the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), the series of intense earthquakes likely moved the entire country by six meters. The Turkish disaster management agency said more than 110,000 rescue workers had been mobilized, and more than 5,500 vehicles were shipped, including tractors, cranes, bulldozers, and excavators.
