Rwandans who live in areas affected by the earthquake in Turkey are waiting for an assessment of the buildings they stay in before returning to their residences, the Embassy of Rwanda in Türkiye told The New Times on Monday, February 13.

Also read: Turkey earthquake: Some Rwandans stranded but safe - Embassy

Some of the Rwandans, the embassy said, are living in rented cars while the others set up tents to live in open spaces where there are no facilities which can collapse.

Seven Rwandans were living in affected areas such as Gaziantep, Adana and Sanliurfa provinces.

"Six out of the seven Rwandans are in Ankara (relocated to Ankara-a province that was not affected by the earthquake), the remaining one is still in Gaziantep, since he is working in UNHCR where he is involved in humanitarian operations,” a Rwandan embassy official told The New Times.

The official said the houses of four Rwandans in Adana and Şanlıurfa provinces, were assessed by the Government and they are fine.

"They are now allowed to return back to their houses and they are scheduled to go back on Monday.

Two Rwandans from Gaziantep will remain in Ankara until their houses are assessed and are allowed to return back,” the official said.

There are about 270 Rwandans in Turkey.

More than 34,000 people have been killed and tens of thousands injured after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Turkey and Syria on Monday, officials said.

The death toll in Turkey has climbed to 29,605, Turkish Emergency Coordination Center SAKOM said Sunday.

In Syria, the total number of deaths stands at 3,576, including 2,168 in rebel-held areas in the northwest, according to the "White Helmets” civil defense group, and 1,408 deaths in government-controlled parts of Syria, according to Syrian state media citing the health ministry on Saturday.