A third Filipino seafarer has been confirmed dead following the recent attacks on vessels in the northern Black Sea amid the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said Saturday.
“Noong nakaraang linggo, dalawa ang deceased pero ang iuulat ko ngayon, may isang nadagdag na nasawi. So tatlo na po ang nasawi natin sa northern Black Sea attacks sa ships docked in Ukrainian ports,” Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said during the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City on August 1.
The DMW chief said a total of 236 Filipino seafarers aboard 17 vessels have been affected by the hostilities in the region.
Of the affected seafarers, three have died, 15 were injured, one remains missing, while 217 have been accounted for and are safe. A total of 89 Filipinos have already been repatriated, including nine injured seafarers.
Cacdac did not disclose the identities of the fatalities or the exact location of the latest incident, but said he would travel to Romania on Monday, August 3 to visit the morgue where the remains of one Filipino seafarer are currently being kept.
He added that he had already visited the families of the deceased seafarers to extend the government’s condolences and provide assistance.
The DMW is coordinating with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), ship owners, and manning agencies for the repatriation of the remains of the three Filipino seafarers, said Cacdac.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. earlier directed the DMW and other concerned agencies to provide full assistance to the families of the Filipino seafarers who died in the attacks.
The remaining affected Filipino seafarers are currently located in Ukraine, Romania, Greece, and Turkey as authorities continue efforts to ensure their safety and return to the Philippines.
The latest fatality comes less than two weeks after the DMW reported that two Filipino seafarers were killed and several others were injured in drone attacks in the Black Sea.
The first Filipino seafarer was killed on July 6, while the second was reported dead on July 19.
