The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) assured yesterday that no Filipino was hurt in the earthquake that hit Turkey Monday.

“There is no reported injury or casualty among Filipinos during the earthquake that hit the province of Elazig in eastern Turkey,” DFA spokesman J. Eduardo Malaya said.

There are about 5,500 Filipinos based in Turkey. Malaya however said that most Filipinos reside in the city of Istanbul and nearby areas.

Elazig is located some 340 miles or 500 kilometers (kms) east of Ankara, Turkey’s capital.

Turkey was jolted by a magnitude 6.0 earthquake at 4:32 am local time.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) however recorded the temblor at 5.9-magnitude with the strongest intensity at intensity VI.

Turkey is one of the largest economies in the world and is a supporter of the Philippines’ bid for an Observer status at the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC).

It will be recalled that last March 4, a 6.4-quake struck Taiwan but the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) had assured that all 75,000 Filipinos in Taiwan are safe. Just last month (February 27), Chile was also hit by an 8.8-magnitude earthquake but no Filipino had been injured. There are about 75 Filipinos living in Chile.

On January 12 this year, Haiti had also been struck by a 7.0-magnitude earthquake, wherein five Filipinos had been killed and one still remain unaccounted for. The Philippine government had repatriated a total of 63 Filipinos from Haiti following the said temblor.