4 Filipinos still missing in Myanmar earthquake
MANILA, Philippines — Four Filipinos in Myanmar remain unaccounted for following the magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck the country on Friday, March 28, a Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) official said.
In an interview with DZBB on Sunday, March 30, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega confirmed that two of the missing Filipinos are a husband and wife.
According to De Vega, the pair resided in a building that collapsed during the earthquake.
“Pagdasal natin lumitaw pa sila at hindi lumitaw sa ilalim ng debris ng building na nahulog, gumuho,” De Vega said.
(Let's pray that they still appear and that they didn't end up under the debris of the building that fell and collapsed.)
De Vega said that the four missing Filipinos are professionals, working as teachers or office staff.
“Yung Myanmar, nanghihingi sila ng tulong sa ibang bansa. Maraming namatay,” he said.
(Myanmar is asking for help from other countries. Many died.)
Meanwhile, in Thailand, which also experienced the strong earthquake, De Vega confirmed that no Filipinos there were injured.
In a statement on March 29, Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa announced that three emergency medical teams from the Philippines are ready to be deployed to Myanmar and Thailand to assist earthquake victims and their famili
“The Philippine Emergency Medical Assistance Teams were instructed to be on standby for deployment once international coordination protocols with the affected countries are complete and a request is received,” Herbosa said in a statement.
De Vega also confirmed that 10 people would be deployed to Myanmar to assist in rescue efforts.
He urged Filipinos in need of assistance to contact the Philippine embassies in Myanmar and Thailand.
- Philippine Embassy in Thailand hotline: +66 81 989 7116
- Philippine Embassy in Yangon hotline: +95 998 521 0991
On Sunday, aftershocks rattled the devastated city of Mandalay, Myanmar, two days after a massive earthquake killed at least 1,700 people in Myanmar and at least 17 in neighboring Thailand. —With reports from Agence France-Presse
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