Three Filipinos injured in Libyan air strike on tanker

DALY CITY, California – An air strike on a Greek-registered oil tanker injured three Filipino crewmen while the vessel was docked in a port in Derna, Libya, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs.

DFA spokesman Charles Jose reported that one of the Filipinos was seriously hurt while the two others were in stable condition.

He also said that the other Filipino nationals who were among the oil tanker’s crew were unharmed.

However, a Greek and a Romanian national who were part of the crew were reportedly killed during the air strike.

Libyan militaty officials said that after a warning not to enter the port was given, the tanker acted suspiciously. They suspected it of transporting Islamist militants to Derna where the ship was at anchor when it was hit on Sunday.

The attack was done by Operation Dignity Forces, the remaining semi-official armed force in Libya, according to Jose. The DFA is currently contacting families of the injured Filipinos.

He added that they are now in the process of contacting the families of the Filipino seafarers to let them know what happened. It is also coordinating with the Philippine Embassy in Tripoli to extend the necessary assistance to the Filipino nationals and their families.

Meanwhile, the DFA also appealed to other Filipino nationals in Libya to avail of the Government’s repatriation since the country remains under the DFA’s Alert Level 4 status, which calls for mandatory repatriation.