First Pinoy fatality of Myanmar quake found

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Wednesday confirmed the death of one of the four Filipinos missing in Myanmar after a magnitude-7.7 earthquake struck the nation last month. The four were believed trapped in the rubble of a residential building that collapsed.

DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Eduardo de Vega said the remains of the overseas Filipino worker (OFW) “have been positively identified.”

“The family of the deceased Filipino has been informed. Out of respect for their privacy in their time of grief, we are withholding further information on the matter,” De Vega told reporters in a Viber message.

Earlier in the day, Alvin Aragon confirmed that the remains of his brother, Francis Aragon, a teacher in Mandalay, had been found.

Aragon, 38, was one of the four missing OFWs who were working as teachers in Mandalay, which is near the Sagaing Region, the epicenter of the 7.7-quake that struck on 28 March.

De Vega said the efforts to find the three missing Filipinos were continuing.

“We continue to work and hope for the best for the remaining Filipinos still unaccounted for,” he said.

On Tuesday, Myanmar junta spokesperson Zaw Min Tun said 148 people were still missing, while fatalities numbered 3,645, with 5,017 people injured.