There are 10 Indians stuck in different parts of Turkey while one is missing after the massive earthquake on Monday, India's Ministry of External Affairs said on Wednesday, 8 February.
"Ten Indians are stuck in remote parts of the affected areas but they are safe. We have one Indian national missing who was on a business visit to Turkiye. He has not been traced in the last two days. We are in touch with his family and the company in Bengaluru which employs him," Sanjay Verma, Secretary (West) in the MEA, said during a media briefing.
The official said that the MEA has et up a control room in Adana in Turkey for Indian nationals.
"We have received calls from around 75 persons asking our embassy there about information and assistance," he said.
Verma said three Indians who approached the Indian government were taken to a safe location.
There are around 3,000 Indians in Turkey, and 1,800 of them live in and around Istanbul while 250 are in Ankara.
The death toll in Turkey and neighbouring Syria after the earthquake crossed 12,000 on Wednesday. According to authorities in Turkey, the confirmed death toll in the country rose to 9,057. In Syria, at least 2,950 people have been killed in government-controlled areas and rebel-held northwest.
India has launched 'Operation Dost' to extend assistance to Turkey and Syria following the devastating earthquake.
In a special briefing on Wednesday, the MEA said that India has been able to send more than 250 personnel, specialised equipment and other relief material amounting to more than 135 tonnes to Turkiye on five C-17 IAF aircraft.
Another C-17 aircraft carrying relief material has landed in Syria.
"It was perhaps the furthest that we have gone in terms of HADR (Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief ) involving specialised teams. We tried to live up to our reputation as first responder," Verma said.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)