Two Indonesian Citizens Found Dead in Diyarbakir, Turkiye

Diyarbakir, MINA – Two Indonesian citizens in Diyarbakir, Turkiye, who after the earthquake had not been contacted by the Indonesian Embassy in Ankara, were found dead.

As quoted from the website of the Indonesian Embassy in Ankara on Sunday, the Indonesian citizen came from Lombok and Bali. The two were victims who were found in the ruins of Galeria Apartments in Diyarbakir City.

Previously, on 16 February 2023, a joint team from the Indonesian Embassy in Ankara – INASAR (BASARNAS) led directly by the Director for Protection of Indonesian Citizens, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Judha Nugraha, had departed for Diyarbakir to search for the two Indonesian citizens.

The team coordinated with AFAD (Turkish Disaster Management Agency) for the search process at the Galeria Residence apartment, where the two Indonesian citizens lived.

After the body was found, the identification process was carried out with the support of the National Police DVI Team which is currently in Hatay. From the identification results, the identity of the two bodies found could be confirmed.

The Indonesian Ambassador to Turkey, Lalu Muhamad Iqbal, delivered the sad news directly to the families of the victims in Indonesia.

“We are all deeply saddened. God willing, with the confirmation of the bodies of our two brothers, the Indonesian Embassy in Ankara and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will immediately try to return the bodies to their respective hometowns,” he said.

Currently, the team is carrying out restoration and bringing the bodies from Diyarbakir to Adana for the process of returning to their homeland. The body will depart from Adana to Jakarta on 22 February 2023.

The two Indonesian citizens are Indonesian migrant workers who work as professional spa therapists in Diyarbakir. The apartment where they lived was completely destroyed by the earthquake. In total there were 89 victims who died in the apartment.

There are around 500 Indonesian citizens around the earthquake site. A total of 128 people were successfully evacuated by the Indonesian Embassy in Ankara. The rest are safe, and get safe shelters around the earthquake area. Others, 10 Indonesian citizens suffered serious injuries and were treated by the Indonesian Embassy in Ankara.

The number of Indonesian citizens who died, which was originally two people, became four people when the bodies of these two Indonesian citizens were found. (T/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)