Jakarta, IO – As many as 123 Indonesian citizens, plus two Malaysia and one Myanmar citizens affected by the devastating earthquake in Turkey have been successfully evacuated by the Indonesian Embassy (KBRI) in Ankara, Turkey, reported CNN Indonesia, Thursday (9/2).
The embassy also confirmed that an Indonesian woman named Nia Marlinda, her one-year-old child, and her Turkish husband have been found dead, buried under the rubble.
In addition, three Indonesians have yet been heard from. The rescue team is still searching for them.
“We are still communicating with local authorities and the Indonesian community to locate two Indonesian citizens in Diyarbakir whose whereabouts are still unknown,” said head of embassy’s evacuation team Police Chief Commissioner Budi Wardiman.
According to the embassy, 10 Indonesians have also been injured so far. Three of them suffered broken bones. A powerful earthquake, measuring 7.7 magnitude struck Turkey and Syria on Monday (6/2) morning. The death toll has now reached 9,600 people. Due to the shallow depth and the time of the incident at night when people were sleeping, experts believe the number of victims may increase.
Read: Turkey-Syria earthquake death toll rises to 7,000
Indonesian citizens abroad can report themselves through the online care portal for Indonesian citizens on the website www.peduliwni.kemlu.go.id. Meanwhile, families who wish to contact relatives or colleagues in Turkey can call the Indonesian citizen protection hotline in Ankara (+905321352298). For those in Syria, they can call the Indonesian citizen protection hotline in Damascus (+963954444810). (un)