Fourteen Filipinos died in a fire that struck a hotel in Erbil, Iraq Friday.
Elmer G. Cato, Charge d’affaires of the Philippine Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq confirmed this news in his Facebook post.
“We have just been informed that 14 Filipinos were among the 17 people who died in a fire that struck a hotel in Erbil, capital of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, (Friday) evening,” he said.
Cato said they would be taking the earliest flight Saturday to closely coordinate with authorities of the Kurdistan Regional Government in identifying and repatriating the remains of the fatalities.
Identities of the Filipino victims have yet to be determined. It was not known if there were Cebuanos among them.
The incident is now under investigation.
“We would like to extend our deepest sympathy to the families of the victims and will do everything we can to bring them home as soon as possible,” he said.