DFA: No Filipinos hurt in Boston Marathon blast
An injured woman is tended to at the finish line of the Boston Marathon, in Boston, Monday, April 15, 2013. Two explosions shattered the euphoria of the Boston Marathon finish line on Monday, sending authorities out on the course to carry off the injured while the stragglers were rerouted away from the smoking site of the blasts. (AP Photo/The Boston Globe, John Tlumacki)
MANILA, Philippines – So far, there have been no reports of Filipinos hurt in the deadly Boston Marathon explosion, Foreign Affairs spokesperson Assistant Secretary Raul Hernandez said on Monday.
“The reports we have received from our officials in the United States, specifically those in New York and Washington, tell us that so far, no Filipino has been hurt in the explosion,” he told Radyo Inquirer in an interview.
But Hernandez did say that there were around 10 Filipinos who participated in the Boston Marathon, an athletic event considered to be one of the largest in the US.
Some of these Filipinos flew to the US to join the marathon, he said.
“I don’t have the names with me but our officials there said that so far they have received no reports of Filipinos hurt in the Boston Marathon explosion,” Hernandez said.
Twin explosions hit the sporting event on Monday, killing three persons, including an eight-year-old boy, and wounding more than a hundred individuals.
Hernandez said that the Department of Foreign Affairs has yet to decide on whether it would issue a travel advisory for Filipinos planning to head to the US anytime soon.
“We still have to discuss the latest security situation there. So far, what we know is that there are no reports of Filipinos hurt in the explosion,” he added.
Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte issued a statement earlier, saying that the Malacañang condemned the fatal attack.
“The President conveys a message of deep sympathy, concern and solidarity with the people of Boston, where he and his family had found refuge during the martial law, and which so many Filipinos call home,” she said in the statement.
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