A Bridgeport church collected thousands of dollars on Saturday to help with the earthquake relief effort in Turkey and Syria.

Father Rolando Torres of St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church of Bridgeport said parishioners have been helping the Catholic diocese with fundraising efforts.

He said with the death toll now exceeding 50,000 people, the money is desperately needed for emergency relief supplies.

Torres added that it's heartbreaking to see the aftermath of a natural disaster like this one.

"It's very, very hard and as a body of Christ, as a church, we are very concerned and very happy to say that the Diocese of Bridgeport is helping Catholic Relief to help the people of Turkey, and to help them find a home, refuge, and it's been amazing the way people are reacting to this situation," he elaborated.

The earthquake that struck Southeastern Turkey and Northern Syria measured a magnitude of 7.7. That was followed by a second quake that measured 7.6.