The Philippine Embassy in New Delhi and the Honorary Consulate General in Nepal on Wednesday, Oct. 8, said that there were no Filipinos stranded during the Mt. Everest blizzard that left hundreds of hikers needing rescue earlier this week.
Villagers with oxen and horses ascend the mountain during rescue efforts to reach hundreds of hikers trapped by heavy snow at Mount Everest. (Lingsuiye via AP)
“According to the Philippine Embassy in New Delhi and its Honorary Consulate General in Nepal, there were no reports of Filipinos stranded or rescued during the blizzard in Mt. Everest,” the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) cited in its statement.
Foreign reports said on Oct. 6 that nearly 1,000 trekkers were trapped after facing a blizzard at the eastern face of Mt. Everest in Tibet.
Some were soon rescued and guided to safety, but hundreds still remain trapped.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Embassy in Port Moresby also assured that Filipinos in Papua New Guinea are safe after the 5.0-magnitude earthquake that hit Port Moresby and the 6.7-magnitude earthquake that shook Lae City in Morobe Province on Tuesday, Oct. 7.
“No damage was reported in Lae,” the embassy said. “According to the Philippine Embassy in Port Moresby, the Filipino community in Lae City and surrounding areas are safe.”
The agency said that it is “closely monitoring the situation, in coordination with the Philippine Embassy.”
There are some 36,000 Filipinos in Papua New Guinea.