In Process Of Sending Mortal Remains Of Uttarakhand Man Who Died In Turkiye Earthquake: Indian Envoy

Vijay Kumar, a resident of Kotdwar, was on a business trip to Turkiye at the time of the earthquake. His body was found among the debris of a hotel in Malatya and later identified by his family.

Greek Orthodox Virgin Mary Church in Tokacli village destroyed by the earthquake that struck Hatay region

Source : Getty Images

New Delhi: India's Ambassador to Turkiye Virander Paul said the mortal remains of the Indian national, who died in the devastating earthquake earlier this week, are in the process of being sent to his family members in Uttarakhand.

Calling the incident “very unfortunate”, Paul, in an exclusive interview with news agency ANI said, “We are in the process of earliest transportation of his mortal remains to India.”

The ambassador added, "Indian embassy in turkey is in direct touch with the victim's family."

Vijay Kumar, a resident of Kotdwar in Uttarakhand, was on a business trip to Turkiye at the time of the earthquake. His body was found among the debris of a hotel in Malatya and later identified by his family. He had left Kotdwar on January 23.

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According to the ANI report, the Indian embassy in Turkiye is in talks with the Turkish government about the clearance and other documentation work to send his mortal remains as early as possible through commercial flights.

Notably, the Indian Embassy in Turkey had informed on Saturday that the body of Kumar have been found.

"We inform 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.

Vijay Kumar is survived by his mother, wife, and his six-year-old child. He had lost his father about one and a half months back.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had said earlier this month that 10 Indians were stuck in remote parts of Turkiye after the country was hit by two "biggest natural disaster" earthquakes. However, the MEA informed that the Indian nationals were safe while one person was missing.