‘No Filipino hurt in Italy volcano blast’

MANILA, Philippines — No Filipino was affected by the eruption of Mount Etna in Italy and the more than 100 earthquakes recorded there, the Philippine embassy in Rome said.

The embassy said Italian authorities have not issued evacuation orders. While some hikers were brought down from the slope of the volcano to safety, there were no reports of deaths or injuries. 

The embassy is in touch with its Filipino community contact persons in the cities of Catania and Messina who reported that they are safe and that no Filipino national has been affected by the eruption. 

Flights into Catania airport, which were halted temporarily, resumed at 8 p.m. Monday (local time). There are around 2,325 Filipino nationals in Messina and 624 in Catania. 

About 5,000 Filipinos reside in the whole of Sicily.