Brothers’ search ends after Canadian woman’s body found after Turkey earthquake

The body of a Canadian woman visiting Turkey has been found in the rubble of a building that collapsed on February 6. during the earthquake that devastated the country.

Saad Zora said his twin brother, Samar, who like his siblings is from Halifax, was found Tuesday by searchers as diggers dug through pieces of a five-story building in the city of Antakya.

“Samar was found,” he said in an interview from Antakya, an ancient city near Syria’s northern border. “He can’t.”

Zora said she and her sister, Muthana, who flew to Turkey last week to look for her sister, are staying close to the site of the building’s excavation. He said he thanked local residents and search and rescue teams who helped find the 33-year-old woman.

“We are on site watching all the time,” said Zora, adding that building owners can assist in the excavation by pointing out certain pieces of furniture associated with certain floors of the structure.

Zora said she and her siblings plan to donate from an online fundraiser in her sister’s memory to help other earthquake victims in Turkey’s Hatay province.

The 7.8-magnitude quake and powerful aftershocks toppled or damaged tens of thousands of buildings, damaged roads and temporarily closed airports. The earthquake affected 10 provinces in Turkey that are home to around 13.5 million people, as well as a large area of ​​northwestern Syria that is home to millions. The death toll has surpassed 35,500, with nearly 32,000 of those in Turkey.

WATCH | The Samar Zora brothers fly to Turkey to look for their sister

‘We have to see her’: Brothers fly from Canada to Turkey to find sister

Unable to get answers from the Canadian Embassy, ​​brothers Saad and Muthana Zora flew to Turkey to find out what happened to their sister Samar, who had not been heard from since the earthquake rocked their town last week.

Samar Zora has traveled to Antakya, formerly known as Antioch, for doctoral research in anthropology. He has not had tremors for a long time.

Her brother said her twin sister was “two minutes younger than me.”

“You always feel like a little sister, but I recently realized that she’s an old soul – a wise old brother – who will give me advice, especially in difficult times,” she said.

“What I remember most is her laugh. She loved to laugh and really had a strong appreciation for culture and especially Middle Eastern culture, and that started to grow rapidly during her studies,” he said.

“He was full of life and [was] a very sweet, kind hearted person.”