243 OFWs evacuated from war-torn Yemen
More than 200 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) had been evacuated from Yemen by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) due to increasing violence and chaos.
“DFA successfully evacuated from Yemen on April 6 a group of 243 Filipinos and one Yemeni national. The group consisted of 111 males, 112 females and 21 minors,” DFA said in a statement on Tuesday.
BACKSTORY: DFA pleads to Filipinos in Yemen: Come home, conflict to worsen
“As the situation in Yemen remains volatile and uncertain, the DFA firmly reiterates its urgent call to the remaining Filipinos there to register with the Crisis Management Team (CMT) … so that they can join what may be the last remaining land evacuation being scheduled in the coming days,” DFA said.
DFA urged all Filipinos still in Yemen to contact the DFA CMT in Movenpick Hotel Sana’a and in Al-Sherif Hotel Hodeidah or through the following numbers: +967-73-019-4165 / +967-73-742-6292 / +967-73-384-4958 / +967-73-845-1828.
They may also contact the team at the email address [email protected]
READ: Filipinos in Yemen told to repatriate due to ‘deteriorating’ security situation
Yemen is slowly descending into chaos with Houthi rebels having taken over the capital city of Sanaa and forcing Yemeni President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi to flee.
Saudi Arabia and its allies struck back at the rebels with military air strikes over the past several weeks resulting in the destruction a lot of infrastructure in the country.
Hundreds have been reportedly killed from the continuous fighting between the rebels and forces loyal to President Hadi while tens of thousands of refugees have fled the country.
BACKSTORY: President of Yemen flees by sea; Saudis begin airstrikes
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has called for a stop to the fighting so they can deliver much needed aid to civilians caught in the crossfire.
DFA said that the total number of OFWs evacuated from Yemen is 342 while another batch of 44 are already on their way out of the country via a land trip to Saudi Arabia.
There is a total of 2,191 OFWs in Yemen according to the December 2012 figures of the Committee on Filipinos Overseas. RC
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