MANILA — The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Tuesday said the estimated 4,000 Filipinos in Vietnam are safe after Typhoon “Damrey” battered the country over the weekend, days before it is due to host the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings.
Citing Vietnamese authorities, the DFA said 61 people were killed and 28 were missing as a result of the typhoon and the series of floods and landslides it brought.
More than 2,000 homes were also reported to have been destroyed and more than 80,000 partially damaged.
Quoting the Philippine Embassy in Hanoi, DFA said no Filipinos had so far been reported to be among those affected by the typhoon and the resulting floods.
Ambassador Noel Servigon said the Embassy is in touch with leaders of the Filipino community in Vietnam to make sure all of them are safe and accounted for.
“The Vietnamese people are in our thoughts and prayers as they recover from Typhoon Damrey,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano, for his part, said shortly before leaving for Da Nang to attend the APEC meetings.
“Our hearts go out to the families of those who lost their lives and their homes as a result of this disaster,” he added.
Cayetano will be assisting President Rodrigo Duterte in the summit where leaders including United States President Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin are also set to attend. (PNA)
