An Intrepid tour leader has died from the injuries he sustained when a hotel he was staying in collapsed during last week’s Turkish earthquake, which has now claimed more than 33,000 lives.

Nazimcan Hartlap was pictured saluting the search and rescue team who pulled him from the wreckage by putting his hand on his head and his heart.

However, he sadly passed away in hospital due to internal bleeding.

Confirming the news in a LinkedIn post, Intrepid Managing Director EMEA Zina Bencheikh said:: “It breaks my heart to share that one of our beloved tour leaders in Turkiye [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 and thoughtful friend who will be sadly missed’.

“My thoughts are with his family and our local team who are mourning the loss of a colleague and more so, a friend.

“The situation in Turkiye 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.

“Intrepid will soon be announcing an additional $100,000 AUD in donation matching to support the Australian Red Cross.

“Please give what you can, and please keep Nazimcan and the people of Turkiye and Syria in your thoughts.”

Nazimcan was one of a group of 43 tour guides who were trapped under the rubble of the hotel when the earthquake struck Adiyaman in Turkey last Monday. He ws pulled out three days later, but his injuries were too severe to survive.

His mother Hilal Hartlap said at his funeral in Istanbul: “Applaud my son, my son deserves it. My son deserves the best of everything. Applaud Nazim.”