No Filipino hurt in Turkey blast —DFA

No Filipino casualty was reported in Wednesday’s car bomb attack in Turkey’s capital of Ankara that killed more than a dozen people and injured several others, the Department of Foreign Affairs said.
“Per our embassy in Ankara, there are no Filipino affected by the bomb blast in Turkey,” Foreign Affairs spokesman Charles Jose said in a text message on Thursday.
In her Facebook account, Philippine Ambassador to Turkey Maria Rowena Sanchez assured that all Filipinos in the capital are safe.
“Dear friends and family of the Philippine Embassy Ankara, please know that all of us are safe and thankfully also our kababayans who study or work here,” Sanchez said. “We pray for those who perished and were hurt by this tragedy and their families. Let us all strive harder to work for peace.”
Sanchez told GMA News' Malou Talosig-Bartolome that the blast site was just 30 minutes away from the embassy, in a government complex.
"Most of our kababayans work in households and the others are in universities. We advise them to stay away from crowded areas for the meantime. Security is tight in public areas and in malls and markets," she said.
In a separate message to GMA News Online, Sanchez said there are 200 Filipino workers in Ankara, including officers and staff of the embassy.
“We are all very okay,” Sanchez said.
"We have Facebook, text and e-group sending advisories. Community leaders serve as wardens and ensure information is passed to all members," Sanchez said.

 

Initial reports said at least 28 people died in the car bomb that targeted a convoy of military service vehicles carrying army personnel.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, which came amid the string of bombings in Turkey blamed on the Islamic State and Kurdish rebels.
"We will continue our fight against the pawns that carry out such attacks, which know no moral or humanitarian bounds, and the forces behind them with more determination every day," President Tayyip Erdogan said in a statement on Wednesday. —KG, GMA News

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