Filipinos in areas possibly affected by powerful quake in Indonesia ‘all safe’

Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). Photo from their Facebook page

MANILA, Philippines — Filipinos residing in areas possibly affected by the 7.4-magnitude earthquake that earlier struck eastern Indonesia are all safe, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Tuesday.

“Initial reports from our embassy in Jakarta and Consulate General in Manado indicate that the few Filipinos we have in Maumere and Makassar City (places that could possibly have been affected) are all safe,” Assistant Secretary Eduardo Meñez of the DFA Office of Public and Cultural Diplomacy (OPCD) told reporters.

“There was a tsunami warning issued after the earthquake but was lowered [two hours] after,” he added.

At a depth of 12 kilometers, the quake struck off the coast of Indonesia’s Flores Sea.

READ: Powerful quake strikes Indonesia; residents flee into streets

Meñez noted that the epicenter of the quake was “quite distant” from the Philippines’ foreign post in Jakarta and Manado, where he said most of over 8,000 Filipinos are located.