Miyazaki’s family arrive in quake town

VAN - Anatolia News Agency

Keiko Miyazaki (C) visits the site of the Bayram Hotel, where her son died during the earthquake. AA photo

The mother of Atsushi Miyazaki, a Japanese volunteer who lost his life during an earthquake in the eastern province of Van where he had come to assist rescue efforts, arrived in the quake-stricken city on May 18.

Keiko Miyazaki, her two sons and Miyuki Konnai, another Japanese volunteer who survived the same trembler that took Miyazaki’s life, first visited Yüzüncü Yıl University’s Faculty of Dentistry, where an orthodontics treatment center has been named after the deceased Japanese aid volunteer.

Visiting sites

After meeting with the university’s rector and other faculty administrators, the visitors then move on to Bayram Hotel, where Miyazaki had died during the earthquake, to lay flowers and offer prayers to their loved one.

The visitors are also going to participate in efforts to distribute aid in Van and Erciş, the epicenter of last year’s devastating earthquakes, under the Japan-based Association for Aid and Relief, according to reports.

Dr. Atsushi Miyazaki was found dead in the rubble of Bayram Hotel, which collapsed during the 5.6-magnitude earthquake Nov. 9. Miyuki Konnai was rescued from the hotel, which was inspected and approved after the 7.2-magnitude earthquake. The Japanese volunteers arrived in Van after the 7.2-magnitude earthquake on Oct. 23.