The Indonesian Embassy is Searching for a Number of Indonesian Citizens in Turkey who have lost contact
DDHK. ORG – The earthquake in Turkey has also caused concern Indonesia. Indonesian citizens (WNI) living in Turkey reportedly lost contact.
As reported Republika, The Indonesian Embassy (KBRI) in Ankara is still looking for a number of Indonesian citizens who lost contact in Turkey after the 7,8 magnitude (M) earthquake rocked Turkey and Syria on Monday (6/2/2023).
Then Muhammad Iqbal, Indonesian Ambassador to Turki explained, the Indonesian Embassy in Ankara had identified 10 Indonesian citizens who were injured, four of whom had received treatment at a local hospital, while the other six had to be evacuated to Ankara.
“Beyond that, there is a mother with two children whom we have not been able to contact until now,” said Iqbal in a virtual press conference in Jakarta, last Tuesday (7/2/2023).
The Indonesian Embassy is also still trying to find two spa therapist workers in Dyarbakir, who until now have not responded when contacted.
The Indonesian Embassy, he said, continues to coordinate with local authorities supported by searches through Indonesian community nodes and the local Indonesian Citizen Protection Task Force to find their whereabouts.
Iqbal added that his party and the Indonesian Embassy team were on their way to Gaziantep to provide humanitarian assistance as well as evacuate 104 Indonesian citizens who were in five areas affected by the earthquake to then be brought to Ankara.
The 104 Indonesian citizens consisted of 40 people from Gaziantep, 40 people from Kahramanmaras, 14 from Dyarbakir, 9 from Hatay, and 1 Indonesian citizen from Adana.
The Indonesian citizens were evacuated because their residences and dormitories had been destroyed, while the shelter provided by the local authorities had exceeded capacity.
Iqbal said that the process of evacuating Indonesian citizens who were in Gaziantep, Kahramanmaras and Hatay to Ankara could possibly be carried out on Tuesday night.
“We have prepared a place at the Ambassador's House in Ankara, at my residence. There has been provided a place that can accommodate 110 people to be able to survive for quite a long time,” he said.
As is known, a devastating earthquake with a magnitude of 7,8 on Monday (6/2/2023) shook the central and southeastern regions of Turkey, as well as the northern part of Syria which borders Turkey.
According to Turkey's disaster and emergency management agency (AFAD), more than 200 aftershocks have shaken the southern regions of the country.
The Hurriyet daily website revealed a total of 5.775 collapsed buildings in 10 provinces in Turkey and this figure does not include collapsed buildings in Syria.
The worst affected areas with the highest number of fatalities were located in Pazarck, Elbistan and Trkoglu, Kahramanmaras Province.
Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay said on Tuesday the death toll from the earthquake had now risen to 3.419. The total number of victims killed, including victims in Syria, has now been recorded as more than 5.000 people. [DDHK News]
