A second batch of 50 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) stranded by flight disruptions in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, returned to the Philippines on Tuesday as the government continued its repatriation operations amid conflict in the Middle East.

The workers arrived at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 at around 8 a.m. on Oct. 20 aboard Qatar Airways flight QR934, bringing the total number of repatriated Filipinos to 84, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) said.

The latest arrivals followed the return of 34 OFWs on Monday, Oct. 19, as authorities arranged alternative travel routes for Filipinos affected by flight cancellations and delays in Riyadh.

According to OWWA, the 50 workers were transported by land from Riyadh to the airport in Al Qassim, a journey that took three to four hours. OWWA welfare officers accompanied the group and assisted them throughout the trip.

OWWA Administrator Patricia Yvonne “PY” Caunan personally welcomed the returning workers at NAIA, along with personnel from the agency’s Repatriation and Assistance Division, to check on their welfare and address their immediate needs.

The agency said it had arranged airport assistance, transportation, temporary accommodation and domestic flight assistance for those who needed to continue their journey to their home provinces.

Caunan said the agency sought alternative routes to ensure the workers could return home safely, adding that assistance would continue upon their arrival in the country.

OWWA said about 300 more OFWs were being assisted for subsequent repatriation flights.

The agency, in coordination with the Department of Migrant Workers, the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh and Migrant Workers Offices in Saudi Arabia, continues to arrange travel for the remaining workers and provide assistance while they await repatriation.