ustralia’s assistant foreign affairs minister, Matt Thistlethwaite, says there are currently no reports of Australians being affected by the powerful earthquake that struck the Philippines.
Speaking to Sky News, Thistlethwaite said Australian consular officials on the ground had not identified any Australian casualties or injuries following the disaster.
“According to the reports from Australia consular officials on the ground there, thankfully there are no Australians involved at this stage,” he said.
The minister described images emerging from the Philippines as shocking, with footage showing buildings collapsing after the powerful quake.
“Obviously, we just saw the shocking and terrifying footage of those buildings coming down,” Thistlethwaite said.
He added that Australian officials would continue monitoring developments as authorities assess the full impact of the earthquake.
“Our consular officials will continue to monitor the situation.”
The earthquake, reported as magnitude 7.8, struck the southern Philippines, causing significant damage and prompting emergency responses in affected areas.