Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 10) — Two Filipinos were among those killed in the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that devastated Turkiye (formerly known as Turkey) and Syria, authorities confirmed Friday, as the total death toll breached 21,000.
\”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,” said the Philippine Embassy in Ankara, the capital city of Tü rkiye.
According to the office, Antakya in Hatay province is one of the hardest-hit areas.
“The Embassy and Consulate General express their deepest condolences and are in coordination with the victims’ families in both the Philippines and Türkiye,” its statement also read.
The embassy meanwhile said that one Filipino previously reported missing has been found alive.
Its records show there are 248 members of the Philippine community in affected regions.
As of Friday, it said 34 Filipinos, their spouses and children have been evacuated and enroute Ankara.
The embassy added it has deployed personnel to check on other Filipinos who may need assistance or wish to be evacuated to safer places, although the embassy acknowledged the process may require more than a few days.
Mourning lives lost
In a tweet, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. expressed “deep regret” over the deaths and assured that Philippine officials “continue to work tirelessly to verify any and all information on Filipinos affected.”
The Department of Foreign Affairs said the government is talking to the bereaved families regarding the repatriation of remains.
According to Maricel Miquel, a Filipina working in Türkiye, one of the two fatalities was her friend who was discovered after four days of search in the freezing cold.
While she recognized that chances were slim for the latter to be found alive, she shared the pain from the confirmation, turning emotional as she recounted the harrowing experience of having to personally identify the remains.
“She was like a mother to us kaya sobrang sakit [so it’s really painful],” Miquel told CNN Philippines over a phone interview.
“Masakit po although alam ko na po na from day one hindi namin sila makita,” she said. “After four days kasi na nahanap sila, imposible na pong mabuhay sila sa sobrang lamig. Kami nga na naka-bonfire na, naka-coat pa, sobrang nalalamigan pa. How much more nalang sila na in pain tapos sobrang lamig?”
[Translation: It hurts, although I knew from day one that we will no longer see them. After four days, it’s impossible for them to stay alive amid the freezing cold. Even us who are able to set up bonfires and wear coats still struggle with the temperature. How much more for them who were in pain?]
Aside from aftershocks that continue to rock the region, people in Türkiye have to endure freezing conditions, with power outages making the situation worse.
A Filipina in Hatay province earlier said she chose to stay in a car after her house suffered large cracks due to the disaster.
It is also still unclear how many Filipinos remain missing, but Miquel said they know of one.
“Umaasa pa kami na sana buhay pero hanggang ngayon kasi hindi pa rin nakikita [We’re still hoping, but we still don’t know where she is],” Miquel said. “Even the husband doesn’t know what to do. They’re still hoping.”
On top of the rapidly increasing death toll, tens of thousands of people in Türkiye and Syria were injured in the disaster, while the World Health Organization has estimated that up to 23 million individuals could be affected.
Earlier this week, the embassy reported that two Filipinos were hurt but have since recovered.
Embassy personnel and the Filipino community in Türkiye have been distributing relief goods over the past days, while a team of rescuers sent by the Philippine government arrived in the country on Thursday to render assistance.
READ: OFW group calls for help following magnitude 7.8 quake in Turkey
The embassy said it remains open for any information on Filipinos affected by the earthquake which may be sent via phone and WhatsApp (+905345772344), via email at ankara.pe@dfa.gov.ph, and via Facebook.
