Two Filipinos were killed and two others were injured after Houthi rebels attacked a merchant ship plying the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) confirmed on Thursday, March 7.
"With great sadness, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) confirms the deaths of two Filipino seafarers in the most recent attack by Houthi rebels on ships plying the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden," the DMW said in a statement published on its official Facebook page.
"We in the Department of Migrant Workers sincerely extend our deepest condolences to the family and kin of our slain, heroic seafarer," it continued.
Two other Filipino crewmen, the agency said, were severely injured in the attack.
DMW assured to extend its fullest support and assistance to the families of the seafarers as directed by President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos.
The agency said it is "keeping in touch with the ship’s manning agency and shipowner to ascertain the conditions of the rest of the ship’s crew, particularly the remaining Filipino crew members."
"The DMW has coordinated with the principal shipowner and manning agency to work on the repatriation of the remaining Filipino crew members," it added.
The agency advised shipowners with vessels traveling the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden sea lanes to comply with the expanded "high-risk areas" designation and implement suitable risk mitigation measures, including rerouting vessels and deploying armed security officers onboard these vessels.
DMW called for "sustained diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions and to address the root causes of the current Middle East conflict."
