DFA: 2 more Filipino seafarers reported missing after Lebanon blast found

(Eagle News) — Two more Filipino seafarers who were reported missing after Tuesday’s explosion in Beirut, Lebanon have been found and are safe, the Department of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday, Aug. 6.

According to the DFA, with the development, 13 seafarers who went missing following the explosion that killed over 135 according to Red Cross are accounted for.

“Our Embassy in Beirut has ascertained the conditions of all the 13 Filipino seafarers who were injured in the blasts that rocked the city recently,” Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Sarah Lou Y. Arriola said.

The DFA said Philippine Embassy Beirut Charge d’affaires Ajeet Panemanglor visited eight of the seafarers staying at their company accommodations.

Five of the seafarers, on the other hand, were at the hospital for another medical checkup when Philippine embassy officials arrived yesterday.

Another visit is scheduled today.

Earlier, the DFA said 11 of the 12 seafarers who went missing after the explosion that also killed two Filipinos have been found.

The cause of the explosion has yet to be determined but Lebanese authorities said a probe would focus on the estimated 2750 metric tons of ammonium nitrate confiscated and stored in a warehouse in the area.

The Philippines has extended its condolences to Lebanon over the incident.