10 of 11 missing Filipinos in Beirut blast found safe

TEN of the 11 Filipino seafarers initially reported missing following a massive explosion Tuesday in Beirut, Lebanon have been found safe and accounted for, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Wednesday night.

“This recent development leaves one seafarer still missing,” the DFA said in a statement. The victims are the crew of the M/V Orient Queen cruise ship.

READ: 2 Filipinos killed, 8 injured, 11 missing in Beirut blast — DFA

The Philippine Embassy in Beirut reported to the DFA headquarters that 10 of the Filipinos suffered minor injuries and were now with the management of the shipping company Abu Merhi Cruises at Ain el Mraiseh, Beirut that operates Orient Queen cruises.

They were part of a group of 13 Filipino seafarers whose ship was docked some 400 meters away from the blast zone, the embassy said in a statement.

The embassy added that it will continue to ascertain the conditions of the seafarers and the other Filipinos who were reported hospitalized.

There are about 33,000 Filipinos in Lebanon, 75 percent of whom “are in the greater Beirut area,” said DFA Assistant Secretary Eduardo Meñez.

The Foreign Affairs department also said that all its embassy personnel are safe, with no reported physical damage in its premises.

Two Filipinos were killed while eight others were injured in the powerful explosion. The unidentified fatalities were household service workers who were in their employers’ home during the blast.

Two of those injured were currently recuperating at the embassy Chancery after receiving treatment from a hospital.

“The Philippine Embassy is in touch with the Filipino community in Lebanon to assess the situation and provide assistance to any affected Filipinos,” the DFA said in a statement.

Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab has called for an investigation into the cause of the explosion after it was initially shown that the blast was caused by confiscated explosive material.

An estimated 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate, a highly explosive material used in fertilizers and bombs, had been stored for six years at a warehouse near the port.

Source: TheManila Times