Intrepid Travel is doubling its contribution to a fund raising appeal after revealing that one of its tour leaders was killed in the earthquakes which devastated Turkey and Syria a week ago.
Chief executive James Thornton confirmed that Nazimcan Hartlap was among more than 28,000 victims.
Thornton said he was deeply saddened by the news adding: “My thoughts are with his family and our local team who are mourning the loss of a colleague and more so, a friend.
“The humanitarian disaster is truly awful, and that’s why Intrepid has decided to double our contribution and will now match donations up to A$200,000.”
Donations to the appeal have topped the original target of A$100,000 in a week.
EMEA managing director Zina Becheikh said: “It breaks my heart to share that one of our beloved tour leaders in Turkey, Nazimcan Hartlap, passed away after suffering injuries in Monday’s earthquake.
“I was lucky enough to meet Nazimcan just a few weeks ago in our Istanbul office and we got on well immediately, he was a smart guy with a bright future at Intrepid.
“His teammates described him as a ‘kind an thoughtful friend who will be missed’.”
She added: “The situation in Turkey remains dire, and the loss of Nazimcan and the thousands of other victims underlines the importance of doing everything we can to support the immediate rescue efforts.”
To donate to the Intrepid appeal, visit Türkiye and Syria Earthquake Appeal