The Department of Foreign Affairs said two Filipinos were killed and several others were injured following a gas explosion in a restaurant in Abu Dhabi on Aug. 31.
The department said Ambassador Hjayceelyn Quintana had reached out to the families of the victims to condole with them and to assure them they would be provided all necessary assistance.
The explosion took place in a Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet along Sheikh Rashid Bin Seed Road, also known as Airport Road, around 10 a.m.
Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said Wednesday the families of the victims Clark Bacud Gasis and Merriner Goc-ong Bertoces would each receive P120,000.
“They will also get insurance benefits if they are qualified members of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration,” Bello said.
The Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Abu Dhabi said 10 Filipinos, including two children, were hurt in the explosion reportedly caused by a gas leak inside the KFC outlet.
The blast instantly killed Gasis, 39, an electrical draftsman from Surigao del Sur, and Bertoces, 26, an employee at the restaurant and a native of Negros Oriental.
The blast also injured eight other Filipinos, and of whom six were taken to the Sheik Khalifa Medical Center for treatment.
Five of the injured have been discharged while the sixth, also a KFC worker, remains in the hospital for further observation.
A total of 28 people were hurt in the blast, reports said.
Bello said the government would be ready to provide additional aid allowed by law to the families of the victims.