DFA: Two Filipinos die in Turkey quake

Philippine Embassy in Ankara confirmed yesterday that two Filipinos died in the devastating magnitude 7.8 earthquake that hit Turkey on Monday.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is withholding the names of the Filipino victims pending formal communication to their families.

“The Embassy is talking to the family on the arrangements for the repatriation of remains. We need to respect their privacy,” DFA spokesperson Maria Teresita Daza said.

The Philippine Embassy in Ankara, in a statement released yesterday, said one Filipino who was previously reported missing in Antakya was found alive.

“However, it is with deepest regret that the Embassy must inform the public of the passing of two Filipinos, both earlier reported to be missing in Antakya,” the Embassy said.

“The Embassy and Consulate General express their deepest condolences and are in coordination with the victims’ families in both the Philippines and Turkey,” the statement added.

The Embassy assured that it continues to tirelessly reach out to as many Filipinos as possible and acknowledges the support of the local Filipino community leaders and their network.

“The team will continue to exhaust all efforts to account for Filipinos in affected regions. We reiterate that we deeply value the contributions of our Filipinos coordinators in Adana, Hatay, and Gaziantep. Through partnerships established over the years, we were able to assist and coordinate with the evacuees and victims,” the statement read.

The Embassy also assured that Ambassador Maria Elena Algabre continues to lead the Philippine team into the next stage of the relief, rescue, and evacuation operations in Southeast Turkey.

She is joined by the Consul-General, The Office of the Philippine Defense and Armed Forces Attache, the personnel of the Philippine Embassy in Ankara, the Philippine Consulate General in Istanbul, and a local Filipino volunteer.

The Embassy said the team has successfully evacuated more than 10 Filipino families from the city of Antakya in Hatay province, one of the hardest-hit cities in a region suffering from much devastation.

“The families are currently being shuttled back to Ankara, Turkiye’s capital, where they will be sheltered,” the statement said, as the Embassy thanked the urgent arrival of Philippine Inter-Agency Humanitarian Contingent Team in Turkey.