MANILA – Philippine Ambassador to Egypt Ezzedin Tago figured in a car accident in a rush to get to Filipinos waiting at the Sudan-Egypt border as countries mount rapid evacuation efforts in the strife-torn Sudan.
Tago was with vice consul Bojer Capati en route to the border when the accident occurred, their vehicle even rolling twice.
“Fortunately, he was unharmed. He has returned to Cairo and will be flying to the border to facilitate the entry of Filipino evacuees to Egypt,” Foreign Affairs spokesperson Ma. Teresita Daza said Wednesday.
Capati, on the other hand, is still "clearing" with the hospital.
The Philippine Embassy in Egypt, which has jurisdiction over Filipinos in Sudan, is in a race to extract hundreds of Filipinos within the 72-hour ceasefire between warring forces in the North African state.
The first batch of 50 Filipinos had left Sudan on Monday night and traveled from Khartoum passing through the Sudan-Egypt border in Aswan to Cairo.
According to the Department of Foreign Affairs, there are around 740 Filipinos in Sudan, majority of whom are professionals, employees at farm or agricultural companies, students and household service workers.
To date, only 350 have requested to be evacuated. (PNA)