A mosque near the city centre is playing its part to support the victims of the Turkey and Syria earthquake.

The Bath Street Mosque in the St Clement's area began the fundraiser on Monday after news of the disaster came in.

The death toll recently passed 11,000 and hopes for finding survivors trapped in the rubble are fading.

Moznu Miah, chairman of the Oxford Mosque Society said: “The disaster that happened in Syria and Turkey is really heartbreaking so as a community we are collecting donations for those people who have lost love ones.

READ MORE: Oxfordshire Turkish barber rush to London as family hit by earthquake

“We have a box in the mosque, and we are also asking people to donate online as well.

“We have done that in the past and it has been very successful.

“Whenever these disasters happen we try to help as much as we can and contribute our share.”

The collection will continue until after next Friday’s prayer when the box in the mosque will be opened and donated to charity.

Stretched rescue teams have toiled through the night in Turkey and Syria, hunting for signs of life in the aftermath of the world’s deadliest quake in more than a decade.

Search teams from more than two dozen countries have joined tens of thousands of local emergency personnel and aid pledges have poured in from around the world.

But the scale of destruction from the 7.8 magnitude quake and its powerful aftershocks was so immense and spread so wide, including in areas isolated by Syria’s ongoing civil war that many are still waiting for help.

Oxford Mail: The Bath Street Mosque The Bath Street Mosque (Image: Ed Nix)

In the Turkish city of Malatya, bodies were placed side by side on the ground, covered in blankets, while rescuers waited for funeral vehicles to pick them up, according to former journalist Ozel Pikal, who saw eight bodies pulled from the ruins of building.

In Syria, aid efforts have been hampered by the ongoing war and the isolation of the rebel-held region along the border, which is surrounded by Russia-backed government forces.

Syria itself is an international pariah under western sanctions linked to the war.

The region sits on top of major fault lines and is frequently shaken by earthquakes.

Some 18,000 were killed in similarly powerful earthquakes which hit north-west Turkey in 1999.

Oxford Mail: Moznu MiahMoznu Miah (Image: Ed Nix/Newsquest)

The money raised through the appeal will go directly to Muslim Hands UK which is a registered charity organisation.

Oxford Mosque Society previously raised money to support other causes such as those affected by the floods in Pakistan.

To donate money to the cause, you can access the appeal here: Turkey & Syria Earthquake | Muslim Hands UK