OFWs hurt in Saudi blast stable–envoy

MANILA, Philippines— Filipinos who were injured when a fuel truck exploded after hitting portions of a bridge Thursday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia are in good, stable condition, the Philippine envoy to Saudi Arabia said Friday.

In a radio interview, Philippine Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Ezzedin Tago said that based on reports they received from the hospitals where the Filipinos were taken, no one was reported to be in critical condition.

“So far wala naman gaanong kritical, karamihan in stable condition. Sa report ng mga hospital sa amin, they are in stable or good condition,” Tago said.

Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez said that nine of the injured Filipinos were in hospitals while three were discharged.

Tago also noted that the Filipino truck driver who was killed in the incident had been identified by his brother-in-law, who was also his co-worker.

Tago, however, said he could not yet disclose the name of the victim. He added that the family had been notified and that they sought for help on how to bring the body back to the Philippines.

Tago added that the employers of the Filipinos assured that they would help the victims.

“Kung hindi naman po nila kasalanan, wala naman sigurong problema sa sweldo nila from the employer. Kung meron mang problema in the future, pwede po silang lumapit sa’min,” Tago said.

Reports said the incident claimed 22 lives and injured more than 100 people.

Reports said that the 7 a.m. explosion occurred near the Saudi National Guard building in an industrial area in the city’s eastern district.

Officials quoted by the news-wire Agence France Press, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media, said that the truck veered into a bridge pylon at a junction on Khurays Road in Riyadh at about 7:30 am, causing a gas leak that spread out and then burst into flames, destroying nearby cars and business establishments.

Officials added that rescue crew had not finished the search and the death toll was still not final.

With AFP and Associated Press