DMW says no report yet of OFWs hurt in latest Taiwan earthquakes

FILE PHOTO: Workers begin demolition of collapsed building, two days after a powerful earthquake struck the city, in Hualien City, eastern Taiwan, Friday, April 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said it has not received any report of Filipinos injured in the series of earthquakes that rocked Taiwan’s Hualien County overnight into the early hours of Tuesday.

Citing initial reports, the DMW said its migrant workers’ offices (MWOs) in Taiwan were immediately placed “on alert” after the series of quakes, with the strongest reaching 6.3 magnitude.

“Initial reports from Filipino communities and leaders in Hualien County says MWO-Taipei indicate no overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) injured,” the agency said in an advisory.

“MWOs are working closely with the Manila Economic and Cultural Office led by Chairman Silvestre H. Bello III in reaching out to other Filipino communities, local authorities, employers, and trade associations to ascertain the safety of our OFWs,” it added.

The first strong quake – a magnitude 5.5 – hit on Monday at around 5:08 p.m. (0908 GMT), according to the Central Weather Administration. That was followed by a series of aftershocks and quakes, with two intense tremors hitting one after another around 2:30 a.m. (1830 GMT) Tuesday, according to reports.

The temblor could also be felt in Taiwan’s capital, Taipei.

The Central Weather Administration also said a magnitude 6.0 quake had hit at 2:26 a.m., followed six minutes later by the magnitude 6.3 tremor.

The US Geological Survey put the first one at a magnitude 6.1, followed by a magnitude 6.0.

Dozens more smaller tremors were recorded by the Central Weather Administration over the rest of the night, with a new one every few minutes, according to its website – all in the Hualien region.

The Hualien region was also the epicenter of the powerful 7.2 quake, initially recorded as 7.5, that struck on April 3. Officials said it was the strongest to shake the island in decades.

The DMW said 15 Filipinos sustained minor injuries following the 7.2 earthquake. All of them have received medical attention and were already discharged from hospital. With reports from Agence France-Presse