DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS 
P R E S S  R E L E A S E
www.dfa.gov.ph                                                                                           2330 Roxas Blvd., Pasay City, Philippines                                                                                 Tel. No. 834-4000 

SFA-AGR-571-05                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            17  August  2005

PHILEMB ATHENS CONFIRMS NO FILIPINO AMONG VICTIMS IN GREECE PLANE CRASH

17 August 2005 – Ambassador Lourdes G. Morales of the Philippine Embassy in Athens, Greece, confirmed that “there was NO Filipino on board Helios Airways flight HCY522 that crashed last 14 August 2005 in Marathon, Greece.”

In her report to the Department of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Morales said that immediately after the disaster last Sunday, the Embassy and the Philippine Honorary Consul in Cyprus Mme. Vanthoula Constantinides could not readily confirm whether there was any Filipino aboard the ill-fated airliner as, at that time, airline authorities could only provide Cypriot and Greek police and government authorities an incomplete passenger list that only showed initials and surnames.

“It was only late yesterday afternoon that the list of passengers and nationalities were confirmed and released to the local media,” Ambassador Morales remarked.

The Ambassador reported that among the 121 fatalities, 104 including the five crewmembers were Cypriots, 16 were Greeks and Cypriots who were residents of Greece, and one – the pilot – was German.

Ambassador Morales added that the Cyprus Embassy in Greece confirmed to the Philippine Embassy the list of nationals aboard the ill-fated plane. END.
 
 
 
 

/epa