The body of an Indian man who went missing following the massive earthquake in Turkey was found under the rubble of a 24-storey hotel on Saturday, February 11, the Indian Embassy said, adding that the body would be sent to India as early as possible. "We inform with sorrow that the mortal remains of Vijay Kumar, an Indian missing in Turkey since the February 6 earthquake, have been found and identified among debris of a hotel in Malatya, where he was on a business trip," the Indian Embassy said in a statement.
As per IANS sources, Vijay’s body was identified with his tattoo of the word ‘Om’ on one of his arms as his face was badly disfigured. The Times of India reported that his family members in Uttarakhand identified his body from photographs sent from the rescue site, based on the tattoo. Hailing from Uttarakhand's Kotdwar, Vijay worked at Bengaluru-based Oxyplants India Private Limited and was on a business trip to Turkey's Malatya and staying at a four star hotel in the city.
According to reports, he was residing at the Avsar hotel since January 23, 2023. Vijay’s employers to TOI that they received the news of Vijay’s body being found on the afternoon of Saturday, February 11, under the rubble of the building that had sank about three feet due to the earthquake. Vijay’s elder brother identified his body based on a tattoo on the left arm from photographs sent by Indian authorities from the rescue site at Malatya, the managing director of Oxyplants reportedly said. His family said that his body would be flown from Malatya to Istanbul to New Delhi, and then to Uttarakhand.