Lionel Messi calls for help for Turkish quake victims, particularly children

Sports legend Lionel Messi on Sunday applauded the help being given to earthquake victims in Turkey.

The Argentine football star urged his Instagram followers to help UNICEF, which aims to help quake-affected children.

"These are very sad days for the thousands of children and their families who have been affected by the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria," the 35-year-old wrote, "My heart goes out to them. UNICEF has been working in the area right from the start to protect the children. Your help is very valuable!"

Messi previously donated his signed Paris Saint-Germain jersey to Turkish international defender Merih Demiral's campaign, which has auctioned the signed jerseys of star players to raise funds to help for quake victims.

Over 30,000 people were killed by two strong earthquakes that jolted southern Turkey this week, according to the latest official figures.

Last Monday’s magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes, centred in the Kahramanmaras province, affected more than 13 million people across 10 provinces, also including Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, and Sanliurfa.

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