The body of an Indian man, reported missing in southeastern Turkey following the February 6 earthquake, was found under the rubble of his hotel, Indian authorities said on Saturday.
Vijay Kumar, 35, was a resident of Pauri Garhwal in Uttarakhand and had been sent by his employer, a gas plant installation firm based in Bengaluru, for some work on a gas plant in the Turkish city of Malatya, which was extensively affected by the massive quake.
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“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 said on Twitter.
“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,” the embassy tweeted.
No further details were immediately available.
Kumar was reportedly asleep within the multi-storey hotel when the earthquake hit the city early on February 6. His passport and belongings were earlier found in the rubble of the building.
There were no other reports of Indian casualties in the quake. A handful of Indians were stuck in a difficult situation immediately after the quake, though they were safe.
There are 3,000 Indians in Turkey, with 1,850 in and around Istanbul, 250 in Ankara and the rest spread across the country.
Also Read: 12 detained in Turkey over collapsed buildings following earthquake: Report
Extending its hand for help to the earthquake-hit Turkey, India has sent a contingent of more than 250 personnel, including search and rescue teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and a 99-member field hospital team from the Indian Army to Ankara.
India has also airlifted more than 130 tonnes of equipment and relief materials to help the victims of the quake, which has killed more than 24,500 people in Turkey and Syria.
