A hotel where 2 staff members of Association for Aid and Relief, Japan (AAR JAPAN) were staying collapsed around 9:23pm on November 9th, 2011 (local time) after a 5.7-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Turkey. Atsushi MIYAZAKI died beneath the rubbles, while Miyuki KONNAI survived with an injury that was not life-threatening.
Mr. MIYAZAKI’s body departed from Istanbul in the evening of November 12th (local time) and arrived in Japan in the afternoon of November 13th (Japan time). After being reunited with his family, his body will be returned to his home on the same day.
KONNAI is currently in a hospital in Ankara and will confirm her return date to Japan based on the result of the doctor’s examination.
We at the AAR JAPAN Tokyo Headquarters Office have been receiving numerous heartfelt messages of condolence, appreciation for our aid work, and encouragement from Turkey as well as other countries around the world. We have already received more than 450 messages and would like to express our sincerest appreciation for your support.
* KONNAI is unable to accept hospital visits and interviews as she is currently recovering from the damage. We thank you in advance for your understanding.
About AAR JAPAN’s Relief Activities in Turkey
AAR JAPAN’s emergency support team that included MIYAZAKI and KONNAI arrived in Turkey on October 26th and began distributing relief items to the disaster survivors after assessing the extent of the damage and the needs of those affected by the earthquake. They distributed food and other daily supplies to approximately 40 families on November 1st and 2nd and to approximately 70 families on the 5th in severely-affected villages in Van Province. In addition, they distributed beef to approximately 50 families on November 6th during Eid al-Adha (“Kurban Bayramı”), the Muslim feast of sacrifice.
Atsushi MIYAZAKI
MIYAZAKI joined the Overseas/ Domestic Divisions of AAR JAPAN in September, 2011. His interest in international politics stems from his time in university, which led him to pursue a degree in Conflict Resolution Studies in the UK. Before joining AAR JAPAN, he had worked for an NGO that provides humanitarian aid in the Philippines. (41 years old from Oita Prefecture)
Miyuki KONNAI
KONNAI joined the AAR JAPAN Tokyo office in October, 2011. She developed an interest toward Turkey, a country bridging the east and west, as a university student and further continued her studies at the graduate level. She has investigated various topics including the nation’s application to accede to the EU and immigration, conducted field researches in Turkey and northern Cyprus. She joined AAR JAPAN after spending 5.5 years at a newspaper company as a reporter. (32 years old from Fukushima Prefecture)