Body of missing Indian man found under rubble in Turkey’s Malatya
The death of an Indian national who had been missing since February 6 was verified by the Indian embassy in Ankara on Saturday, five days after a major earthquake struck Turkey and Syria, killing about 25,000 people.
“We inform with sorrow that the mortal remains of Shri Vijay Kumar, an Indian national missing in Turkiye since February 6 earthquake, have been found and identified among the debris of a hotel in Malatya, where he was on a business trip,” the Indian embassy in Ankara tweeted on Saturday.
“Our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones. We are making arrangements for the earliest possible transportation of his mortal remains to his family,” it added.
Sanjay Verma, secretary (West) in the MEA, had said, “We have one Indian national missing, who was on a business trip to Turkey in Malatya and he has not been traced for the last two days. We have been in touch with his family and the company in Bengaluru, which employs him.”
India had started Operation Dost, a Humanitarian Assistance and Accident Relief (HADR) mission, to assist with the rescue effort and medical assistance, and NDRF and Army teams had already arrived in Turkey within hours of the disaster.
The crew is working day and night as part of Operation Dost, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted on Friday, acknowledging their efforts. “They will continue to give their all to preserve as many lives and pieces of property as possible. India firmly supports the Turkiyean people at this pivotal moment, he said. There are 3,000 Indian citizens living in Turkey, 1,850 of whom live in and around Istanbul, 250 in Ankara, and the remaining 200 are dispersed over the whole nation.
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