MANILA — A Filipino domestic worker is confined in the intensive care unit of a Hong Kong hospital, while another remains missing following a massive fire that swept through a residential high-rise in Tai Po district, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) reported Thursday night.
DFA spokesperson Angelica Escalona said that both Filipinos affected by the blaze are employed as household workers in the Chinese Special Administrative Region.
Authorities have so far confirmed 65 fatalities from the incident, though none have been identified as Filipino.
Escalona noted that the Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong is coordinating with the Hong Kong Police Force, Labour Department, and Home Affairs Department to locate the missing Filipino worker.
“The Department is monitoring the situation in Tai Po closely. We thank Hong Kong authorities who are helping locate, identify, and assist affected Filipinos,” she said.
A total of 23 Filipino domestic workers have received welfare aid from the Consulate, the Migrant Workers Office, and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration.
Representatives from the three agencies earlier conducted a joint visit to government-run shelters to extend assistance to displaced Filipino nationals.