No Pinoys hurt, killed in strong Iran-Iraq quake —DFA

There are no Filipinos among the dead or injured following the strong earthquake that jolted Iran and Iraq on Sunday, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Monday.

The DFA, in a statement, also extended its sympathies to the victims of the magnitude 7.3 earthquake, which left more than 200 people dead.

"The people of the affected areas of Iran and Iraq are in our thoughts and prayers today," DFA Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said. "Our deepest sympathies go out to the families of those who lost their lives in this tragedy."

Out of the more than 200 people who were killed, the Philippines Embassies in Baghdad and Tehran said there are no Filipino casualties in the incident.

According to the Philippine Embassy in Baghdad, the earthquake was centered near the city of Halabja in Iraqi Kurdistan. It affected Kurdish areas of Iran, including the cities of Sarpol and Ilam.

Ambassador to Tehran Wilfredo Santos gave an assurance that the eight Filipino-Iranians residing in Ilam are all safe.

Meanwhile, according to Chargé d'Affaires Elmer Cato, the tremor also caused some minor damage to the embassy.

Cato said the quake had sent some of the 3,000 Filipinos in Kurdistan spilling into the streets.

The hardest hit province of the earthquake was Kermanshah, which already announced three days of mourning. —Anna Felicia Bajo/KBK, GMA News