Florentino Santiago, 44, was reported by the Philippine Embassy as among the 22 people who died in the explosion.
Assistant Secretary Raul Hernandez, DFA spokesman, quoting Ambassador Ezzedin Tago, said that the body identified as Santiago’s by the OFW’s brother-in-law turned out to be that of a Syrian national.
Hernandez, in a press briefing, said there were still two unclaimed bodies that were burned beyond recognition. He said the DFA is waiting for a request by Saudi authorities to collect DNA samples from Santiago’s blood relatives to facilitate the conclusive identification of the OFWs’ remains.
“We will only know he’s dead if we are able to see and identify scientifically that one of the bodies is his,” Hernandez said.
The ill-fated fuel truck was driven by another OFW, Ruben Kebeng. Hernandez said Tago has already been able to get in touch with Kebeng, now detained at the Riyadh police department.
“He was already visited by Ambassador Tago and he (Kebeng) was sent to the court to authenticate his statement that he gave to the criminal investigation office,” the DFA official added.
According to Hernandez, Kebeng claimed the truck he was driving lost its breaks and he avoided hitting a building which was the reason why he slammed into a flyover post. However, the tank ruptured and the leaking fuel ignited, causing a huge explosion that set ablaze several vehicles and nearby buildings.
Tuesday 13 November 2012
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/56116/saudi-authorities-to-conduct-dna-test-on-unclaimed-bodies-in-riyadh-blast-dfa
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