The Turkish national handball team's captain, Cemal Kütahya, lost his life in last week's major earthquakes in the southeastern part of the country and neighboring Syria.

Citing the Turkish federation THF, the world governing body IHF said that Kütahya was found dead under the rubble of his devastated house in Antakya, with his five-year-old son also among the victims.

Kütahya, 32, had played for domestic league leaders Hatay Büyükșehir Belediyespor and was captain of the national team and Türkiye's beach handball side.

"It is with deep sadness that we learned of the death of Cemal Kütahya, the captain of our National Men's Handball Team, and his son Çınar Kütahya, who were buried under the rubble of the house where they lived in the town of Antakya," the THF statement said.

Kütahya is among several sports persons who have not survived the Feb. 6 quakes, which according to figures Tuesday, has claimed the lives of more than 37,000 people, and thousands more are still missing.