Two Filipinos were killed and eight were wounded in the explosions that rocked the main port in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Wednesday.
READ: 2 Pinoys killed, 6 others hurt in Beirut blast
Meanwhile, ten of the 11 seafarers who had gone missing after the explosions have been recovered and are now safe with their employer, the DFA added.
Citing a report from the embassy in Lebanon, the department said the sailors suffered minor injuries and are now with the management of their shipping company, Abu Merhi Cruises, at Ain el Mraiseh district north of Beirut.
The DFA also said Philippine embassy personnel are all safe, and that there were no reported damages to the chancery.
“This development leaves one seafarer missing,” the DFA said.
Malacañang on Wednesday expressed solidary with Lebanon after the explosion that rocked its capital killed at least 100 people and injured more than 4,000 others, while leaving over 300,000 people homeless.
READ: Two huge Beirut explosions kill 78, injure thousands
“The Philippines is in solidarity with the people of Lebanon in this period of great grief. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Lebanese people,” presidential spokesman Harry Roque said in a statement.
He also sympathized with the families of the Filipinos who died or were wounded in the blast.
“We are one with the families and friends of the Filipinos who died or were injured,” Roque said.
Roque told CNN Philippines that the DFA would continue to help all the Filipinos who were affected by the explosion through the Philippine Embassy in Beirut.
Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Eduardo Meñez told reporters the embassy in Beirut was now in touch with the Filipino community in Lebanon to assess the situation and provide assistance.
Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Martin Andanar expressed his “utmost sympathies” with the people and government of Lebanon and all those who had been affected by the blast.
“We assure everyone that our government is ensuring the safety of our workers there through the Philippine Embassy in Beirut, and concerned government agencies are providing the assistance their families need,” Andanar said.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Lebanon as the country strives to rebuild from the aftermath of the blast amid these trying times.”
Lebanese President Michel Aoun said ammonium nitrate was the source of the explosions, which leveled a three-story building and was heard across the city and its suburbs.
They were the most powerful explosions in years in Beirut, which is already grappling with a spike in COVID-19 infections.
READ: Utter devastation as toll from Beirut monster blast tops 100
