DFA CONFIRMS 2 FILIPINOS DIE IN MYANMAR QUAKE, 2 OTHERS REMAIN MISSING

THE Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Thursday confirmed that two Filipinos died during the 7.7 magnitude earthquake that struck Myanmar.

The DFA said the first Filipino fatality in the earthquake was Francis Aragon.

According to the Department, another Filipino died in the quake but declined to provide information.

The second victim is one of the four Filipinos earlier reported missing after the Sky Villa, the condominium they were residing in, collapsed as a powerful tremor hit the Southeast Asian country on March 28.

“The family of the deceased Filipino has been informed. They have requested media to respect their privacy in this very difficult time,” the DFA said in a statement.

“We continue to hope for the best for the remaining two Filipinos still unaccounted for in Mandalay, Myanmar,” the DFA said.

The death toll from last month’s powerful tremor  in Myanmar rose on Wednesday to 3,649, the junta said.

The quake also injured 5,018 people with 145 still missing, according to Xinhua News.

Meanwhile, the death toll in neighboring Thailand from an under-construction skyscraper brought down by the same quake has risen to 22 with 72 still missing, the Bangkok Post report said.