The body of a South Korean man missing in a powerful earthquake in New Zealand has been found, Seoul's ambassador to the country said Friday.

The New Zealand police notified South Korea that Yoo Gil-hwan, 24, who went missing along with his sister after their language learning center building collapsed in the 6.3-magnitude quake in Christchurch on Feb. 22, was confirmed dead, according to Amb. Noh Kwang-il.

The embassy said it informed the death to Yoo's father, who was staying in Christchurch to find the location of his missing children.

Yoo's 21-year-old sister, however, remains unaccounted for.

The brother's body was found under the debris of the collapsed building, according to the police.

Believing the brother and the sister were together in the same building when it collapsed, the police were trying to unearth other bodies presumed to have been buried. They also plan to identify the sister as early as possible via DNA and other tests on already recovered bodies.
(Yonhap News)