2 seafarers stranded in Iran flown home

Two Filipino seafarers stranded in Iran since April 1 have been flown home by the Philippine Embassy almost three weeks after their sea vessel had offloaded them, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Friday.

Alfredo Borlongan, the Philippine consul general in Tehran, accompanied Jerry Gabanzo and Miguel Estrella Jr. when they returned to Manila.

According to the DFA, Gabanzo and Estrella, crew members of the Dubai-flagged MV Blue Nile, were offloaded in Iran after complaining that their employers had failed to pay their salaries.

The pair stayed for 15 days in the Iranian town of Chabahar, located some 1,800 kilometers from the capital city, Tehran, before the wife of one of them was able to contact the Philippine Embassy in Tehran. —MARLON RAMOS