No reported casualties but 35 Filipinos evacuated after huge Japan earthquake —officials

Thirty-five Filipinos in Japan have evacuated from their homes due to possible tsunami after the New Year's Day 7.6-magnitude earthquake, Philippine Ambassador to Japan Mylene Garcia-Albano said on Tuesday.

Albano said the Filipinos who evacuated were reported in Ishikawa Prefecture, which is the worst-affected area of the earthquake.

“Kagabi, nag-report po sa amin na merong 35 Filipinos na nag-evacute daw po sa city hall kasi after po ng tsunami warnings na na-issue kahapon,” she said in an interview on Dobol B TV.

(Last night, it was reported to us that 35 Filipinos have evacuated to the city hall because of the tsunami warnings.)

Following the earthquake, Japanese authorities warned of a possible tsunami with big waves of up to five meters along coastal areas.

No casualties

Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega told GMA News Online that there were no Filipino casualties in the earthquake, quoting the Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers (OUMWA).

“The Filipino community has been contacted and no reports of any [Filipino] casualty at this time,” the DFA-OUMWA said.

The Philippine Consulate General in Nagoya posted advisories for the Filipino community and has been monitoring developments, according to the DFA-OUMWA.

There are 298,740 Filipinos in Japan, including 1,300 in Ishikawa prefecture, the DFA said. Most of the Filipinos in Ishikawa are working in offices, factories, and agriculture sector, among others.

Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) administrator Arnel Ignacio said their officers are also monitoring the condition of the Filipinos.

“OWWA welfare officers are also monitoring. Ishikawa prefecture and coastal areas of Toyama, Fukui, and [Hyogo] were all given tsunami warnings. All precautionary steps for safety are all being taken,” Ignacio said.

At least six people were killed in the earthquake, Reuters reported on Tuesday.

The earthquake damaged homes and infrastructures, set off a major fire, and caused big waves in coastal areas. —KBK, GMA Integrated News