(Eagle News) — The number of Filipinos injured in the blast that ripped through Beirut, Lebanon on Tuesday has risen to 42.
The Department of Foreign Affairs said this was based on additional reports that came from the ground by day’s end on Friday.
Based on the reports, Undersecretary Sarah Lou Arriola said the number of Filipinos missing has also risen to two.
The number of fatalities remains at four.
The DFA earlier announced around 400 Filipinos are expected to be repatriated from Lebanon next week after the explosion, which a Lebanese official said had been caused by “confiscated high explosive material.”
Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun said apart from negligence, probers were also looking at external interference as the cause of the blast that killed at least 150 overall and hurt at least 5000.
He has rejected an international probe into the incident.
Hezbollah has strongly denied claims it had stored weapons in the warehouse which supposedly contained the explosive material prior to the explosion.
