Flight cancellations have hampered government efforts to evacuate the remaining 90 Filipinos in Afghanistan, which is now under the control of the militant Taliban group, the Department of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday.
In a statement, the DFA said it continues to exhaust all avenues for repatriation after two unsuccessful attempts.
“Last night, two attempts were made to evacuate Filipinos via New Delhi and Islamabad. However these were unsuccessful due to cancellation of all commercial flights,” department said.
“As experienced by the groups last night, access to and even within the airport is very difficult and if able to check in, this is still no assurance that a flight would be able to leave,” it added.
According to the DFA, 79 out of 90 Filipinos staying in Afghanistan have sought for repatriation from the government.
The DFA urged Filipinos still in Kabul to prepare to leave at a moment’s notice and to travel with minimal luggage.
DFA also reported that seven Filipinos in Afghanistan on Wednesday were evacuated to Qatar and another five to the United Kingdom with the help of their employers.
“There are reports of other Filipinos who have left Kabul which our embassies are verifying,” the agency said.
Filipinos in distress may contact the Philippine Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan for assistance: Whatsapp/Viber: +923335244762.
DFA already raised Alert Level 4 or mandatory evacuation for Filipinos in Afghanistan due to the Taliban takeover of the country.
