MANILA – Two Filipinos were killed while eight others were injured following a massive explosion that ripped through Lebanese capital Beirut on Tuesday, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.
Citing information from Philippine Charge d’ Affaires to Lebanon Ajeet Panemanglo, the Filipinos who died were in their employers’ homes when the explosion happened in Port of Beirut.
It added that Philippine Embassy in Beirut continues to monitor the developing situation and is ready to aid Filipinos. There are around 33,000 Filipinos in Lebanon, mostly based in Greater Beirut.
The explosion killed more than 100 people and wounded over 4,000 people, its Health Minister Hamad Hassan told Reuters. Highly explosive ammonium nitrate stored in a warehouse at a port could have triggered the explosion.
Meanwhile, Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said that the government will intensify its efforts to bring home Filipinos from the war-torn country following the deadly blast.
“I think the government will continue with its repatriation of nationals who wish to be evacuated from the area. Lebanon as we know is war-torn,” Roque said in an interview with CNN Philippines’ The Source.
“We’ve issued [a] series of advisories against working in Lebanon. I believe the DFA will intensify our efforts to bring home our kababayans in that war-torn area,” he added./PN
