URGENT appeals are being made to help a Canvey man in a critical condition in the Philippines.

Jason Smith, 51, lived on the island for a number of years, before meeting his wife Maffi in the Philippines and moving out there to live with her.

The pair were involved in a serious motorcycle accident in Kalibo on Wednesday, both suffering severe injuries.

Jason is in a critical condition in St Paul’s Hospital, Iloilo, with kidney failure and is on a mechanical ventilator.

He needs several operations, but the operations cannot start yet because the hospital does not have enough blood for him.

Jason is blood type O Negative, which is fairly rare in the UK, but even more so in the Philippines, where just 0.1 per cent of the public share the same type.

Now close family and friends have launched a Just Giving page in an attempt to raise cash for Jason. They also want to appeal to anyone who may have family or friends in the Philippines who could donate blood.

Brother-in-law Stuart Lewis said: “It’s been tough, it is really awful, but we have been working through the night to see what we can do.

“We have a little consortium going on, and we flew one of our mates out who landed yesterday morning, and hopefully we can get a few facts about the situation.

“But we have been told he is a very critical state so we do not have much time.

“We have had an amazing response in the Philippines, we know a few people out there and one of our friend’s wife owns a business in the Philippines, so she put an appeal out which reached 60,000 people.

“If he pulls through then there will still be a lot of work, he needs the operations but he will need to rehabilitate, recover and get home as well, unfortunately it may be a long process and we are going to need a lot more support.”

A Just Giving page has been set up with a target of raising £20,000, reaching £5,000 already.

Anyone wishing to help, can donate at www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/markmarsom-ridgway