Rescue personnel work at the site of a building that collapsed following a strong earthquake, in Mandalay, Myanmar. Photo REUTERS

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said four Filipinos remain unaccounted after a strong earthquake hit in Myanmar.

DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Eduardo de Vega said two of the four Filipinos are a husband and his wife residing in a building that collapsed following the magnitude 7.7 earthquake.

The four unaccounted Filipinos are professionals, either working as teachers or office workers, the DFA official said.

As for Thailand, which also felt the strong quake, there were no Filipino casualties, De Vega said.

The death toll in already reached more than 1,600, according to reports from foreign media.

The Philippine government through the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said that a critical inter-agency meeting was assembled to coordinate the Philippine response and deliver needed support for affected victims.

The Office of Civil Defense, along with other government agencies, is committed to assisting Myanmar, drawing from our experience in providing immediate aid during the recent earthquakes in Turkey and Syria,” OCD Administrator Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno said.

Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa immediately instructed three Philippine Emergency Medical Assistance Teams (PEMAT) to be ready to be deployed once international coordination protocols with the two countries have been completed and a request has been received. These teams also assisted Turkey after a massive earthquake struck in 2023.

De Vega said around 10 people will be deployed to Myanmar to help in rescue efforts.

He also urged Filipinos needing assistance to contact the Philippine Embassy in Thailand at hotline +66 81 989 7116 or the Philippine Embassy in Yangon at hotline +95 998 521 0991.