MANILA — The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) reported that no Filipino was among the casualties of the magnitude-6.1 earthquake that struck western Japan on Monday morning.
According to the DFA, there are at least 16,295 members of the Filipino community in the Kansai Region, which was in the immediate epicenter of the earthquake.
Three persons were killed and more than a hundred were reported wounded following the tremor.
The quake did not trigger a tsunami, but more than 170,000 households were left without power in Osaka and neighboring areas.
The Philippine Consulate General in Osaka has already advised members of the Filipino community in the prefectures of Osaka, Hyogo, Nara, and Shiga to be on alert for aftershocks and avoid unnecessary travels.
Consul General Maria Aileen Bugarin said all Consulate personnel were safe and accounted for and also reported that no member of the Filipino community was injured.
Bugarin said Japanese authorities are still assessing the damage caused by the tremor and that safety checks were being conducted in the building the consulate is located. (Joyce Ann L. Rocamora/PNA)
