No Filipinos hurt in deadly airstrike at migrant detention center in Tripoli

MANILA, Philippines — No Filipinos were reported killed or hurt in a deadly airstrike at a migrant detention center in the Libyan capital, Elmer Cato, Chargé d’Affaires of the Philippine Embassy in Tripoli, said.

In a statement issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Wednesday, Cato said no Filipinos were reported to be among the 40 people killed and 80 injured during the attack.

Meanwhile, the DFA has urged Filipinos in Tripoli to “heighten their vigilance” and “take the necessary precautions” following the airstrike.

READ: Airstrike hits migrant detention center in Libya, 40 killed 

“The DFA echoed the advisory issued by the Philippine Embassy in Tripoli shortly after the incident that took place in Tajoura District, about five kilometers from a hospital compound where around 40 Filipino nurses and their dependents were staying,” the DFA said.

“The detention center, which was located next to a military camp, housed mostly African migrants,” it added.

The embassy likewise reminded Filipinos residing or working near military facilities or formations to “take added precautions and to relocate if necessary in the wake of the announcement by the Libyan National Army (LNA) that they will be carrying out more airstrikes against military targets inside Tripoli.”

According to the DFA, there are approximately 1,000 Filipinos in the Libyan capital and its surrounding areas, most of whom are nurses or hospital workers.

Cato also said the embassy remains concerned about the safety of the more than 40 Filipino nurses and engineers who chose to stay in their workplaces, which are located in areas where fighting has been taking place.

Eleven Filipino nurses, meanwhile, sought shelter at the embassy last Sunday after fighting broke out again near their hospital south of Tripoli while another six Filipinos availed of the government’s offer of repatriation. (Editor: Eden Estopace)