DFA to Help 2 Pinoys on Everest as Nepal Quake Toll Nears 2,000
The Philippine Embassy in New Delhi is sending a team to Nepal to assist Filipinos affected by the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that hit that country over the weekend.
According to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), two Filipino mountaineers – Jessica Ann Nicole F. Ramirez and Jose Francisco C. Oracion – went to the Everest base camp for vacation and checked in at Khwopa Guest House Bhaktapur Kathmandu but are now in Durhar Square for safety.
Collapsed Tower People gather around the collapsed historic landmark, Dharahara Tower, after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake ravaged Kathmandu, Nepal on Saturday afternoon. The massive earthquake collapsed houses, buildings, and temples all over the city in the worst devastation the city has ever seen. (EPA)
“We will try to get them to airport and/or consulate,” the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said in a statement issued on Sunday.
The embassy said there are less than 200 Filipinos in Nepal. So far, the head of the Filipino community in Kathmandu reported, no Filipinos have been injured in the earthquake.
The quake was the strongest in the region in more than 80 years.
The death toll of 1,910 is expected to rise as the full extent of the damage is assessed.
RED CROSS AID
Assistance from the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) will be sent to Nepal, which was struck Saturday by a 7.8-magnitude earthquake that killed more than a thousand people, damaged infrastructure, and destroyed properties and historic structures.
“We truly feel the tragedy and great difficulties that the people of Nepal are currently faced with, and feel we must support the operations of Nepal Red Cross. Leaders of the Nepal Red Cross recently visited and observed PRC Yolanda operations recently,” PRC Chairman Richard J. Gordon said.
“Our staff and volunteers are prepared to work with the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies’ and the Nepal Red Cross with respect to our role in assessment, rescue, relief, and other operations,” Gordon said.
The PRC chairman said they are preparing various equipment for use in collapsed structures. These will be brought to Nepal as soon as they receive information from the Nepal Red Cross and the Red Cross Movement and other partners.
The PRC is coordinating with the International Federation and the Canadian Red Cross on finding a way to send assistance.
PRC Secretary General Gwendolyn Pang said: “We will send whatever we can that will help in easing the suffering of the people of Nepal. The Philippine Red Cross is part of a global organization whose goal is to alleviate human suffering. With the Philippines also frequently hit by various disasters, we can imagine how devastated the people of Nepal must be after the terrible loss of lives and widespread damage caused by the earthquake.” (With reports from AP and Charina Clarisse L. Echaluce)