By Junex Doronio
AFTER BARELY SURVIVING the deadly Russian missile attack in the Black Sea that damaged the Liberian-flagged civilian vessel they were boarding, all Filipino seafarers, including three who were hurt, will be repatriated as soon as possible.
This was announced on Sunday by the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) which also bared that a Filipino engine trainee had a fracture on his left hand but had a successful operation, while the two others — the ship’s captain and third mate — only suffered minor injuries.
“Isinasaayos ‘yung kanilang pagpapauwi sa ngayon dahil nga lahat sila may pinagdaanan na sitwasyon, na event na hindi pangkaraniwan. ‘Yan ang pag-uusap namin sa manning agency ngayon at hopefully in due time, makakauwi sila,” DMW officer-in-charge Hans Leo Cacdac said in a Super Radyo dzBB interview.
According to a Reuters report, the Russian missile hit the crew’s vessel entering a Black Sea port in Odesa region.
Ukraine Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said the Liberian-flagged civilian vessel was supposed to transport iron ore to China.
One unidentified person was killed due to the incident while a port employee was also wounded aside from the three Filipino crew members.
The DMW OIC pointed out that the Filipino seafarers had to be sent back home to the Philippines as their ship was already damaged.
“Mainam na pauwiin muna sila at mahagkan nila ang kanilang mga pamilya, makapiling nila ang kanilang pamilya gawa nu’ng pinagdaanan nila. ‘Yan ay sinasagawa na rin ngayon,” Cacdac said. (ai/mnm)