Eleven more Filipinos were reported injured and another one was reported missing in the massive blasts that rocked the Port of Beirut in Lebanon, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Saturday.
The new report brings the total injured overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to 42 while the missing are now two.
“By day’s end yesterday (Friday), the number of injured OFWs stands at 42, an increase of 11 from the previous report. We were also alerted that another Filipino was reported missing, increasing the number to two. The number of Filipino fatalities, meanwhile, remains at four,” Undersecretary Sarah Lou Arriola said.
Arriola added that the Department of Foreign Affairs, through the Philippine Embassy in Beirut, continues to ascertain the condition of the Filipinos affected by the blasts that rocked the port city earlier this week.
New reports came in with the ground operations clearing more area, and embassy personnel receiving additional reports.
The department previously stated that it expects the number of affected Filipinos in Beirut to increase considering the magnitude of the reported destruction.
A repatriation flight to bring home Filipinos from Lebanon was already chartered. The flight scheduled on August 16, 2020 also seeks to bring home the remains of Filipino victims of the explosion.
“The numbers are still being finalized but there were already 230 listed before the blast happened,” the DFA said.
According to DFA data, there are approximately 33,000 Filipinos in Lebanon, 75 percent of whom are concentrated in the Greater Beirut area. (Betheena Unite)