By Roy Mabasa
The United States government has offered its sincerest condolences to the victims of the 6.5 magnitude quake that rocked the southern Philippines on Thursday morning.
US Ambassador Sung Kim (USAID Philippines / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
“I would like to offer our sincerest condolences to the victims of yesterday’s earthquake in Mindanao,” US Ambassador to the Philippines Kim Sung said in a tweet last night.
The US envoy also urged those in affected communities to “stay safe” following the magnitude 6.6 and 6.5 tremors that struck various parts of Mindanao on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively.
“To those in affected communities, please stay safe and know that our thoughts and prayers are with you,” Ambassador Kim said.
The latest reports from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) showed that 14 people were killed, more than 400 injured and two other missing in the two separate quakes that jolted Mindanao during the week.
Aside from the US, the Japanese government earlier conveyed its sympathies and condolences to the families of the victims and those who were affected by the Mindanao quakes.
READ MORE: Japanese gov’t conveys sympathies to Mindanao quake victims
“Ambassador Koji Haneda offers his sincerest condolences to the families of the victims of the recent earthquakes that struck parts of Mindanao and expresses his sympathies to all those affected,” the Japanese Embassy in Manila said in a statement.
Living in an earthquake-prone country, the Japanese government said it “fully understands the hardship caused by such natural disasters”.
“We stand in solidarity with the Government and the people of the Philippines,” the Japanese Embassy added.