No Filipino hurt in Taiwan quake: MECO
2024-Apr-03 14:22
QUAKE AFTERMATH. This photo taken on April 3, 2024 shows a damaged residential building in Hualien, southeast China's Taiwan. A 7.2-magnitude earthquake jolted the sea area near Hualien of China's Taiwan at 7:58 a.m. Wednesday (Beijing Time), according to the China Earthquake Networks Center. PHOTO: Xinhua
MANILA – No Filipino national has been reported hurt or among the fatalities following a strong earthquake that struck Taiwan on Wednesday morning.
In a statement, the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) said all Filipinos and overseas Filipino workers on the island are "all accounted for and safe".
"We are thankful that we have not received reports of any of our kababayans (fellow Filipinos) being hurt or badly affected by the powerful earthquake that hit Taiwan this morning," MECO Chairperson Silvestre Bello III said.
"Based on our monitoring in Taipei and the reports from our field offices in Taichung and Kaohsiung, and the reports coming from our Filipino communities in Taiwan, there are no Filipino casualties or injuries in the aftermath of the earthquake and the aftershocks," he added.
There are more than 60,000 Filipinos working in Taiwan, based on the latest data from the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW).
Taiwan was hit by a 7.2 magnitude earthquake past 7 a.m. on April 3, with the epicenter recorded some 25 kilometers southeast of Hualien County, the strongest tremor to hit the island in over two decades.
Reports from the local media said at least 44 people were injured while four died.
Taipei-based Central News Agency said three of the fatalities were hikers who were struck by falling rocks at the entrance to Taroko Gorge. (PNA)