100 Filipino survivors of Costa Concordia to arrive in Manila Thursday

A luxury cruise ship Costa Concordia AP PHOTO

Some 100 of the 296 Filipino crew members of the Italian cruise ship, Costa Concordia, which ran aground and tipped over last Friday on the island of Giglio, Italy, will be arriving Thursday in separate flights, according to the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (Owwa).

Another 50 crew members will be arriving Friday, the Owwa said, and 78 more are expected to arrive on Saturday.

Owwa administrator Carmelita Dimzon said the rest of the workers are still being booked for their return flights to Manila, while the three injured seafarers will be booked for return flights after they have recuperated from their injuries.

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz earlier said that the Philippine Embassy in Rome had provided the Filipinos with travel papers after all their passports and other documents were left on the cruise ship and were beyond recovering.

She said the Filipino workers’ employer had provided repatriation assistance. Tina G. Santos