Rescue workers and volunteers carry a person rescued from the rubble in Diyarbakir, Turkey, on February 6, 2023, after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the country’s south-east. – At least 284 people died in Turkey and more than 2,300 people were injured in one of Turkey’s biggest quakes in at least a century, as search and rescue work continue in several major cities. (Photo by ILYAS AKENGIN / AFP)
MANILA, Philippines — So far, there are no reports of any Filipino casualty in the major earthquake that rattled central Turkey early Monday morning, the Philippine Embassy in Ankara said.
“The Philippine Embassy in Ankara extends its deepest condolences to the people of the Republic of Türkiye who lost their lives in the devastating earthquake in Gaziantep. We wish for the speedy recovery of the wounded and deepest sympathies to the families and loved ones of the victims,” it said in a statement Monday.
“The Embassy continues to reach out to the Filipino communities and its other contacts in the region and, as of this writing, has not received reports of Filipino casualties in the provinces of Gaziantep, Hatay, Adana, and Mersin,” it added.
The embassy nevertheless said their monitoring of the situation will continue as they gave assurance that they are prepared to provide aid to affected Filipinos if needed.
The Philippine Embassy may be reached through telephone and WhatsApp at +905345772344, and e-mail at ankara.pe@dfa.gov.ph.
A 7.8 magnitude quake jolted central Turkey and northwest Syria in the early darkness of a winter morning, killing at least 600 people and injuring thousands.
READ: Major earthquake hits Turkey, Syria; over 600 dead, thousands injured
Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay said 284 people were killed and 2,323 injured, as authorities scrambled rescue teams and supply aircraft for the affected area, while declaring a “level 4 alarm” that calls for international assistance.
The deadly quake was also felt in Cyprus and Lebanon.
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