“There is only one Italian missing who we have not been able to contact. It is Angelo Zen, from the province of Vicenza, we are in constant contact with the family”. This was stated by Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani on Tg3 in connection with the Crisis Unit of the Farnesina.
Who is Angelo Zen
Zen, 50, as Tajani himself had previously written in a tweet, was in Turkey for work reasons. He was staying, according to what was reported by friends, in a Kahramanmaras hotel destroyed by the earthquakebut Tajani points out that it is not known where he was at the time of the earthquake. He is a consultant originally from Saronno (Varese) and resident in Martellago (Venice), according to local newspaper sites. Zen is a technician specialized in goldsmith machinery and the last contact with the family dates back to last Sunday. In recent weeks he was working in Turkey.
The last traces
Tajani added that he is an entrepreneur from the Veneto who “worked in Turkey in the machinery sector, was probably in contact and was working with Turkish companies to probably organize sales”. The family also “confirmed that it was in Kahramanmaras, a city of over one million inhabitants”, Tajani said again, underlining that it is a city as big as Turin, that “it is difficult to find a person in such a large city where so many have fallen palaces” and that “there is a lot of confusion”.
“We are in constant contact with the family, I spoke to them just now, they are all begging not to flock to them but we have been empowered to give all the information regarding our compatriot who is not yet there and we will then give all the information to the family”, continued the owner of the Farnesina, who then launched an appeal to the media: “We ask all the press organs for the utmost confidentiality and respect for this family while waiting to find out where our compatriot Angelo Zen is” . Tajani asked “not to besiege the Zen family, we are the ones who have the power to give information about everything that is happening”. The minister underlined that at the moment “the Italian citizen cannot be traced”.
The other missing Europeans
In addition to the Italian Angelo Zen, at least 4 Europeans are missing in the areas affected by the earthquake in Turkey. There is no Danish citizen to be found, the Copenhagen Foreign Ministry told the TV station Drreports Sky News. Three Britons are also missing, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly told the House of Commons, underlining that the Foreign Office’s Crisis Response Hub is working to support at least 35 British citizens in the affected areas. Two Austrians died and their bodies were recovered in Kahramanmaras province, the Austrian Foreign Ministry reported.
