THE Department of Foreign Affairs yesterday said five more Filipinos were reported injured in last week’s deadly blast in Lebanon, bringing the total to 47.
The massive blast triggered by ammonium nitrate stored in a warehouse in the port area of Beirut killed 154 people, including four Filipinos, and injured several thousands more.
“We are still thankful that the injuries sustained by our kabayayans are not life-threatening.
We also thank our embassy personnel for taking prompt action,” DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Sarah Lou Arriola said.
Arriola said the remains of the Filipino fatalities will be brought back to the country this week, along with some 400 Filipinos who sought repatriation assistance from the embassy.
There are around 33,000 Filipinos living and working in Lebanon, 75 percent of whom are in the greater Beirut area.
“The repatriation of our kababayans from Lebanon is free,” Arriola said.
She said embassy officials are closely monitoring the situation in coordination with the Filipino community and local Lebanese authorities.
