DMW: ‘Security concerns’ delay retrieval of Filipino sailors’ bodies

FILE PHOTO: An aerial view of the Barbados-flagged ship True Confidence ablaze following a Houthi missile attack in the Red Sea on March 6, 2024. The commercial vessel had 15 Filipinos among its crewmen. Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Officer in Charge Hans Cacdac said Friday, April 5, 2024, that the odies of Filipino crewmen in the ill-fated ship were still unrecovered even as retrieval operations continued due to “security concerns” hampering the mission. REUTERS

MANILA, Philippines — Bodies of Filipino crewmen in the ill-fated True Confidence vessel were still unrecovered even as retrieval operations continued due to “security concerns” hampering the mission.

Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Officer in Charge Hans Cacdac revealed this Friday, adding: “Napaka selan ng sitwasyon sa karagatan ng bahagi na ‘yun ng mundo (The situation in the ocean in that part of the world is very delicate).”

“Meron pa kasing coordination with the governments kung saan magdadaong ‘yung barko so may ganoong sitwasyon (There is still coordination with the governments where the ship will dock so there is such a situation),” he also explained during an interview with Radyo 630.

READ: Remains of 2 Filipino seafarers still in cargo vessel, says Cacdac

But Cacdac declined to disclose more information on the mission, citing possible safety hazards.

He nevertheless gave assurance that DMW is constantly communicating with the ship owner as well as the families of the victims to “help them amid this difficult process.”

The DMW earlier said True Confidence caught fire after it was hit by a Houthi missile in the Gulf of Aden in March.

Two Filipino seafarers died in the incident while three others were “severely hurt.”

READ: DMW: 10 Filipino crewmen in Yemen missile attack safe, 3 wounded

Eleven Filipinos who survived the attack have returned to the Philippines on March 12, while the two injured declared “fit for travel” arrived in the country on March 14.