BACK HOME. The two remaining Filipino seafarers who suffered serious injuries after a Houthi missile hit their ship M/V True Confidence on March 6 arrive via an air ambulance at Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Thursday (March 14, 2024). The injured seafarers were immediately taken to a hospital where they will continue recovery. (Photo from OWWA Facebook page)
MANILA – The two remaining Filipino seafarers who suffered serious injuries after a Houthi missile hit M/V True Confidence on March 6, are back in the country and have reunited with their families.
The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), in an advisory issued on Thursday, said the two Filipino crew members arrived via a chartered medical evacuation flight at 6:45 this morning at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport from Djibouti.
In an earlier interview, DMW Officer-In-Charge Undersecretary Hans Leo Cacdac said that one of the seafarers suffered a serious leg injury and was amputated, while the other one suffered major burns.
The two have been cleared “fit to travel” by medical doctors who treated them at a Djibouti hospital in East Africa.
Upon their arrival at the NAIA, the two Filipino seafarers were received by a medical team and taken to a hospital where they will continue their recovery.
“They have also been reunited with their families in the hospital,” the advisory read.
Meanwhile, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) personnel were also at the airport to welcome the injured Filipino seafarers to ensure their welfare.
“Ang OWWA, katuwang ng iba pang ahensiya ng gobyerno, ay siniguro ang ligtas na pag-uwi ng mga sugatang tripulante at paglipat sa mga ito sa isa sa mga ospital natin dito sa Pilipinas (The OWWA, together with other concerned agencies, ensured the safe travels of our injured seafarers, and their transfer to a hospital here in the Philippines),” OWWA posted on its Facebook page.
It added that they are also preparing assistance and other benefit packages to be given to them and their families.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels targeted M/V Confidence with an anti-ship missile while navigating the Gulf of Aden on March 6, while on its way from China to Jeddah and Aqaba, carrying a cargo of steel products and trucks.
Three crewmembers died, including two Filipinos and one Vietnamese, while three Filipinos suffered injuries.
The DMW said the seafarers and their families requested privacy at this time.
Injured seafarers receiving treatment, financial aid
In an update, the DMW said the two injured seafarers are now receiving medical care and treatment in an undisclosed private hospital in Metro Manila.
DMW acting officer-in-charge Undersecretary Bernard Olalia said he and Assistant Secretary Felicitas Bay visited the injured crewmen, and met with their family members and doctors on Thursday afternoon.
They were informed that the two patients would undergo a full medical evaluation and assessment on Friday to determine the course of treatment and care that they need.
"We are thankful they are now with their families and loved ones, receiving the best possible care available," Olalia said.
The DMW said the two seafarers also received an initial financial assistance worth PHP50,000 each. (PNA)
