DFA: No report of Pinoy casualties in Mumbai attacks
abs-cbnNEWS.com | 11/27/2008 2:34 PM
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No Filipino casualties has been reported in the coordinated attacks launched by terrorists in the financial capital of India.
The Philippine Embassy in New Delhi and the Philippine Honorary Consulate in Mumbai confirmed that no Filipino nationals were killed during the bomb explosions in Mumbai.
Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Esteban Conejos Jr. of the Migrant Workers Affairs relayed the confirmation through a text message sent to abs-cbnNEWS.com Thursday.
“The embassy and the consulate will continue to coordinate with authorities to ascertain and ensure delivery of assistance to Filipino nationals, if any, affected by the incident,” Conejos said in the text message.
Meanwhile, Charge d’ Affairs Maria Aniceta Bugarin of the Philippine Embassy in New Delhi reported that they have yet to receive official information if there were Filipinos in the areas where the attacks were carried out.
“We are actually having a telephone brigade. Were trying to contact our Filipino friends in Mumbai and whoever is there in New Delhi to find out whether they know any of our kababayans who are there in those areas,” said Bugarin in a phone interview with ANC’s Dateline Philippines.
Bugarin said a Filipino chef once worked at the Oberoi Hotel in Mumbai but the embassy is “trying to confirm whether there is still one now, whether they are there, and where they are staying.”
Furthermore, they hope to receive confirmation about Filipinos in Mumbai by Thursday afternoon.
“Because definitely, even the networks, they do block it for security purposes especially if they are still carrying out operations in that area,” she explained.
She said that the incidents prompted five star hotels in New Delhi to step up their security measures.
Filipinos who want find out information about their relatives living or working in Mumbai may call the embassy at +91 1126 889091.
“There is no hotline that the Indian government has provided as of now. But you're free to call up the Philippine embassy,” she said.
Raymond Legaspi, of the Herald newspaper news desk told ANC that in Goa around 6,000 delegates from around the world including a Filipino delegation are now in quarantine. “Authorities are making sure that no attacks will come to Goa,” Legaspi said.
As of the latest reports, Legaspi said that at least 101 people were killed and 250 have been injured in the attacks.
Legaspi said that there are Filipinos working as singers and band members in the hotels in the area.
“Some of them are my friends. I called up some of them and no one's picking up. I’m sure they've just finished their shifts. The singers and band members are from the Visayas and Pampanga. So far they have not been picking up the calls but a lot of Filipinos, 100 at least I know works around this area--in Colaba, South Mumbai,” he said.
There have been unconfirmed reports that Filipinos are also employed by the Taj Mahal Hotel.
“I have no communication with anyone there so I can neither confirm nor deny if anyone is doing well or not,” he said.
The newspaper where Legaspi works also received a letter from a group called Deccan Mujahedeen which claimed responsibility for the attacks.
“Yes we received that claim from the Deccan Mujahedeen. Authorities actually traced the internet source of that. It originated from Russia but authorities are dismissing the possibility that it’s any group from Russia,” he added.
Authorities are reportedly looking at terrorists whom they say came from Karachi directly to Mumbai.
“One thing that stands out in these attacks is that they're well coordinated, organized,” he said.
