Phl extends sympathies to Russia after mall fire

The Philippines extended its sympathies to the Russian Federation after 64 people were reported to have died and many more reported missing in a fire at a shopping mall in Western Siberia on Sunday.

“We extend our condolences to the government and people of the Russian Federation over the deaths resulting from the fire at the Winter Cherry Shopping Center in Kemerovo,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said in a statement.

“Our thoughts and prayers go the families of those who perished in this tragedy,” he said as he expressed hopes that the casualty rate would no longer rise.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) was still checking if there were Filipinos among the victims of the fire in the town of Kemerovo, some 3,600 kilometers from Moscow.

Philippine Ambassador to Moscow Carlos Sorreta said the embassy is checking if there are any Filipinos among the dead and the missing in the incident.

“As of today there are no reports of Filipinos included in the list of casualties. The embassy is coordinating with the relevant Russian authorities for official updates,” Sorreta said.

An estimated 1,000 of the 8,000 Filipinos in Russia are in Siberia.

The fire, considered to be one ofthe deadliest in Russia in recent years, struck the upper floors of the shopping center where a movie theater and a children’s play center were located.

Russian authorities have recovered at least 56 bodies, many of them children, from the scene of the fire and are searching for dozens who remain unaccounted for.

The embassy of the Russian Federation to the Republic of the Philippines presents its compliments to all diplomatic and consular missions and international organizations accredited to the Republic of the Philippines and has the duty to inform with deep regret of the tragic fire in the shopping mall in the City of Kemerovo (Russia) on March 25, 2018 that took the lives of more than 60 people, including children.

The book of condolences will be open at the embassy at 1245, Acacia Road, Dasmariñas Village, Makati City on today, March 29, from 10 a.m. until noon and from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

The embassy renews to all diplomatic and consular missions and international organizations the assurances of its highest consideration.