Ugandan confirmed among the dead as Turkey death toll continues to rise
A Ugandan is among the dead bodies recovered , almost a week later after the deadly earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria in nearly a century .
A statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs released on Monday indicated that Florence Babirye’s body was recovered from the rubble of the building where she stayed.
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“Babirye was unfortunately discovered dead in Hatay province, one of the badly affected areas,” the statement said.
The deceased lived in Hatay Province where BBC last week reported that rescue efforts had in some places been disrupted due to clashed between unnamed groups.
German rescuers and the Austrian army are said to have paused the search operations in the area and this could have exacerbated the situation as hopes of finding more survivors continued to fade .
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said efforts are underway to work with authorities in Turkey to have the body of Babirye which had already been buried, exhumed and repatriated back home to be accorded a decent burial by relatives in Lwengo district where she hailed from.
“The family of the deceased has been duly contacted and informed.”
The ministry also revealed that another Ugandan who sustained injuries during the earthquake is currently undergoing treatment at a hospital in the city of Malatya and is “responding well.”
The Ugandan government also noted that through the embassy in Ankara, they are working with authorities in Turkey to offer consular and any other necessary support to Ugandans in the country hit by the quake.
“A total of 16 Ugandan nationals residing in Hatay and Malatya have been identified and contacted,” the ministry said.
The ministry urged Ugandans in Turkey to reach out to the embassy in Ankara on +905396440840 or +905313468102 for required consular support.
Death toll continues to rise
The development comes at a time when the death toll in the Turkey and Syria earthquake that hit last week has continued to rise and is currently at more than 36000 currently.
Of the dead, 31,643 are in Turkey and more than 5,700 in Syria following the 7.8 magnitude February 6 quake and its aftershock.
Rescue efforts are still ongoing in the two countries with hopes of still finding those still alive below the rubble.
