Two Filipino seafarers were killed by Houthi rebels on ships plying the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aiden, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said Thursday.

“With great sadness, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) confirms the deaths of two Filipino seafarers in the most recent attack by Houthi rebels on ships plying the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden,” the agency said in a statement.

The DMW said it was also informed that two other Filipino crew were seriously hurt.

It did not name the ship but reports said the Barbados-flagged, Liberian-owned bulk carrier M/V True Confidence was attacked recently in the Gulf of Aden. Two crew members were reported dead.

As ordered by President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. the DMW will give aid to the families of the affected seafarers.

The DMW said that the ship’s manning agency and the owner told them that the remaining Filipino crew members “have been taken to a safe port”.

It added that they are coordinating with them for the repatriation of the remaining Filipino crew.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) previously announced that 17 Filipino crew members were among the foreigners who were held hostage on the Galaxy Leader cargo ship after Houthi rebels seized it in the Red Sea in November last year. Jaspearl Tan/DMS