Kotdwar: The body of 36-year-old Vijay Kumar Gaud, who died in last week's devastating earthquake in Turkey, was flown to Delhi on Monday morning and cremated in Uttarakhand's Kotdwar. He was reported missing in southeastern Turkey following the February 6 earthquake and his body was found under the rubble of the hotel where he was staying.
Gaud's body was handed over to his family members in Delhi who then brought it to Muktidham for the last rites, Devendra Nawani, a relative, told PTI.
A resident of the Padampur area of Kotdwar in Pauri district, Gaud worked for a Bengaluru-based company and was in Turkey on an official assignment. He worked in a gas plant installation firm and was sent for some work on a gas plant in the Turkish city of Malatya.
Quoting Indian embassy officials, the family had earlier said that Gaud was identified by an "Om" tattoo on his hand. His face was crushed beyond recognition. Gaud is survived by his wife and a six-year-old son.
The Indian embassy in Ankara had on Sunday said that his mortal remains were found and the family was informed.
“We inform with sorrow that the mortal remains of Shri Vijay Kumar, an Indian national missing in Turkiye since February 6 earthquake, have been found and identified among the debris of a hotel in Malatya, where he was on a business trip,” the Indian embassy in Ankara said on Twitter.
“Our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones. We are making arrangements for the earliest possible transportation of his mortal remains to his family,” the embassy tweeted. Vijay Gaud was sleeping at the multi-storey hotel when the earthquake hit the city. His passport and belongings were earlier found in the rubble of the building. More than 36,000 people were killed in the earthquake that reduced many buildings to ruins. Meanwhile, Turkish authorities have arrested a number of contractors and detained many after allegedly being connected to quake constructions in Turkey over the weekend and Monday. Turkey's worst earthquake in almost a century left behind a trail of deaths and destruction with rescue teams still searching for survivors under the rubble of buildings that collapsed following the powerful tremors. —PTI