DFA checks if Filipinos involved in Italy tanker blast

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is checking if there are Filipinos among the dead and injured after a fuel tanker burst into a massive fireball near the Bologna airport on Monday.

The Philippine Consulate General in Milan reported that at least two persons died and more than 60 were injured in the explosion.

“We are saddened by the loss of life in the accident in Bologna and pray for the speedy recovery of the injured,” Consul General Irene Susan Natividad said in a statement on Tuesday.

Natividad said they are coordinating with authorities and members of the Filipino Community in Bologna to determine if there were Filipinos among the casualties in the incident.

She said there are an estimated 20,000 Filipinos in the Emilia Romagna Region where Bologna is located.

The explosion was reportedly triggered by a fuel tanker that crashed into another vehicle along a major highway near the Bologna airport. /je