Guwahati: 28,192 people had died as a result of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria as of Saturday (local time), according to CNN.
According to Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay, the dead toll in Turkey has increased to 24,617.
The White Helmets civil defence organisation reports that 3,575 confirmed deaths have occurred in Syria, including 2,167 in the northwest rebel-held regions.
According to Syrian state media, which cited the nation’s health ministry, an additional 1,408 fatalities had been reported in areas under the control of the government.
An Indian national who had been missing since the earthquake that struck Turkey on February 6 was found dead on Saturday under the rubble of a hotel in Malatya, the Indian Embassy in Turkey announced in a tweet. The deceased, identified Vijay Kumar, was visiting Turkey for business.
“We received a report yesterday that his luggage and passport were found but there wasn’t a body. We were hoping for his well-being, that he would have escaped. His father had passed away around a month back and now this has happened,” said Gaurav Kala, a relative of Vijay Kumar.
When Kumar’s family members got the awful news, they were in a state of profound shock. They sobbed hysterically. His mother, wife, and six-year-old child are still alive. About 1.5 months prior, he had lost his father.
“We received a call from Embassy in the afternoon. They wanted confirmation for identification, so we told them about a mark on the left hand. He worked in a company in Bengaluru & left from here on 22nd Jan. He was scheduled to return on 20th Feb, said Kala.
The mortal remains of Kumar have been found, the Indian Embassy in Turkey announced on Saturday.
“We inform you with sorrow that the mortal remains of Shri Vijay Kumar, an Indian national missing in Turkiye since the February 6 earthquake, have been found and identified among the debris of a hotel in Malatya, where he was on a business trip,” the Embassy said in a tweet.
“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.
Ten Indians were reportedly struck in distant areas of Turkey earlier this month when the nation experienced two “largest natural calamity” earthquakes, according to the Ministry of External Affairs. Despite the fact that one citizen is absent, they are safe.
“There are 10 individuals who are stuck in some remote parts of the affected area but they are safe. We have one Indian national missing, on a business visit to Turkey’s Malatya. And he has not been traced for the last two days. We are in touch with his family and the company in Bengaluru,” Sanjay Verma, Secretary (West) in Ministry of External Affairs, had said at a media briefing on ‘Operation Dost.’