The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is closely monitoring the situation of the Maldivians residing in Turkey, after Monday’s earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.

As such, the foreign ministry revealed that they were able to contact the Maldivians registered with the foreign ministry and the Maldives Permanent Mission to the UN offices in Geneva to enquire about their condition and confirm their safety.

According to the latest details, no Maldivian nationals have been reported injured in Monday’s earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.

A total of 14 Maldivians are registered with the foreign ministry and the Permanent Mission in Geneva.

The ministry is also closely monitoring the situation in Turkey following the quake.

The authority has also urged Maldivians in Turkey to reach out to them through the ministry’s hotline, 7983400, if any Maldivian in Turkey needs assistance or support of any kind.

Maldivians residing in Turkey who are yet to register with the ministry or the Mission in Geneva, have been urged by the foreign ministry to register at the earliest opportunity.

Many Maldivian students are studying in Turkey and Maldivians have been travelling to the country for holidays and other purposes as the country has been a picturesquely popular tourist destination for justifiable reasons.

The foreign ministry told RaajjeMV that no locals have reached out in need of help, in connection with the tremors.

The ministry has assured that they are collaborating with the Maldives Consulate in Turkey to closely monitor the situation of the Maldivian residing in the country.

According to Reuters, the death toll due to a powerful earthquake on Monday had climbed to 20,000 by Thursday, with thousands of people left homeless after the earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria in the midst of the cold harsh winter. The death toll in Turkey is over 17,000 with it surpassing 3,000 in Syria.

The quake, which struck near the Turkish town of Gaziantep, was recorded at 7.8 on the Richter magnitude scale. A second earth quake of 7.5 magnitude also came later in the day.

Several buildings collapsed in Turkey and Syria and caused widespread damage in the wake of the tremors.