Missing Indian national found dead in quake debris in Turkiye hotel

New Delhi: Vijay Kumar, an Indian national who was reported missing in the devastating earthquake that hit Turkiye on Monday has died, the Indian Embassy said on Saturday, adding that his body was found in the debris of a hotel in Malatya where he was on a business trip.

The Indian Embassy in Turkiye in tweets said that it is making arrangements to bring the body back.

“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.

“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 Indian embassy said.

On February 8, the Ministry of External Affairs had said that one Indian was missing and had not been traced since the 7.8-Richter quake struck the country on Monday, and the MEA is in touch with his family and his company in Bengaluru where he was employed.

“We have one Indian national missing who was on a business visit to Turkiye. He has not been traced in the last two days. We are in touch with his family and the company in Bengaluru which employs him," Secretary West in the MEA Sanjay Verma had said in a briefing.

“We set up a control room at Adana in Turkiye. Ten Indians are stuck in remote parts of the affected areas, but they are safe.

"We have received calls from around 75 people asking our embassy there about information and assistance," he added.

He said three Indians who approached the Indian government were taken to a safe location and added that the Indians in Turkiye are relatively safe.

Around 3,000 Indians are residing in Turkiye, of which number around 1,800 live in and around Istanbul, while 250 are in Ankara and the rest are spread across the country, he added.

More than 20,000 people have perished in the quake that hit Turkiye and the second violent quake and several aftershocks that followed. (UNI)