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An Australian trapped in the devastating earthquake between Turkey and Syria has been found alive and well, while two others are still missing.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Penny Wong announced on Friday that an Australian man is safe, a day after confirmation that Sydney man Can ‘John’ Pahali’ had died in the disaster.
But two remain unidentified as the death toll from the disaster exceeds 21,000.
One of them is Melbourne man Suat Bayram, 69, who was in Turkey visiting his nephew and his nephew’s wife when the earthquake struck on Monday.
Imren Bayram hasn’t heard from his father since.
An Australian man was found alive and well amid the destruction of Turkey and Syria by earthquakes on Monday that have killed more than 20,000 people.
“We are desperate, we are desperate to find my dad,” he told Nine News.
It is the center of our family. We just want him home, we just want him safe.
The Department of Foreign Affairs is supporting around 50 Australians and their families caught up in the earthquake disaster.
One of the three missing Australians was confirmed safe on Friday.
“I’m pleased to be able to say that one of those Australians in the region is doing well,” Ms Wong told reporters in Adelaide.
‘Two people are missing. It has been reported that one person died in these earthquakes.
The whereabouts of two Australians are still unknown, one of them is Melbourne man Suat Bayram (pictured), 69, who was in Turkey visiting his family when the earthquake struck.
‘I extend my condolences, and as a result of these reports, I extend my condolences and expression of support to all who are waiting for news. Not just personally but on behalf of the Australian government.
Pahali, from Glebe, in the inner-west of Sydney, was on holiday in Hatay when the magnitude 7.8 and 7.5 earthquakes struck the region.
His nephew immediately traveled to Turkey to try to find him, however he was confirmed dead on Thursday.
He has spent six wonderful months reuniting with his large family in different parts of his country. She now she is with her beloved Jesus,” read a Facebook post on the Glebe community forum.
One of Mr. Pahali’s relatives flew into the area from Germany, found his body in the rubble and recovered it.
Senate Foreign Secretary Penny Wong (right) announced the man’s safety, while two Australians remain missing in the chaos.
An Australian search and rescue effort has been organized to send it to the affected areas as part of a colossal international relief effort.
The effort includes 72 people and 22 tons of equipment, including first aid supplies, tools, cameras and specialized listening equipment to help locate survivors.
They left the RAAF base at Richmond, north-west of Sydney, on Friday morning.
The NSW government has also allocated an additional $1 million to the search and rescue mission.
Meanwhile, survivors in the hardest-hit areas are beginning to lose hope for their missing loved ones as miraculous tales of survival become more unlikely.
The announcement of the man’s safety comes a day after the death of Sydney man Can ‘John’ Pahali (pictured), who was on holiday in Turkey when the earthquake struck.
While some areas have been limited to picks, shovels and jackhammers to carefully maneuver through the rubble in the hope of finding survivors, others have resorted to demolishing shaky buildings.
Tens of thousands have lost their homes during a cold winter when temperatures drop to around 0C, with some calling for more help from the weather.
“Especially in this cold, it is not possible to live here,” said a survivor, Ahmet Tokgoz.
“If people haven’t died trapped under the rubble, they will freeze to death.”
The death toll in Turkey and Syria has exceeded 21,000.