The Department of Foreign Affairs on Monday issued a statement saying that there were no Filipino casualties in the powerful 6.6-intensity earthquake that jolted Norcia, Italy on Sunday.
The DFA assured the public that the Philippine Embassy in Rome is making sure all Filipinos in Italy are safe after the tremor, reportedly the most powerful in 16 years.
Italy has the largest population of Filipinos in Western Europe with 155,945 registered or documented Filipinos with valid permits to remain and work in Italy, according to Italian Ministry of Interior records.
A magnitude-6.6 quake hit the mountainous area in central Italy that straddles Marche and Umbria on Sunday, Philippine time. It was followed by another earthquake in the same area on August 24 that left nearly 300 people dead.
Almost 8,000 people have asked for assistance from Italy’s Civil Protection agency and are being housed in hotels and shelters after the two quakes.