2 RP seafarers missing after ship sank off Spain

Two Filipino seafarers were reported missing after a cargo vessel sank off the coast of Spain last Tuesday, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Thursday.

The DFA had clarified its earlier statement that all Filipinos aboard the MV Kea had been rescued.

"Rescue operations for two missing Filipino seafarers are ongoing. Their identities are being withheld until their families have been informed," the DFA said in a statement.

The MV Kea, en route to Colombia from St. Petersburg, Russia, sank in Galicia, Spain, on Tuesday. The DFA statement did not cite the reason for the sinking.

Among the crew members were 19 Filipinos, two Croatians, and one Russian, Latvian, and Ghanaian. The DFA earlier reported that 22 of the seafarers were already rescued, including all the Filipinos.

The department also announced on Thursday the repatriation of the 15 Filipino seafarers first rescued. They are expected to be released from San Rafael Hospital in Coruna, Spain, on April 2, Friday.

"They are being treated for bruises and muscle swelling but are not suffering from any serious injuries," the DFA said.

Two more Filipino crew members, who were rescued by another vessel, are en route to Rotterdam in the Netherlands and are due to arrive there on April 3, Saturday, the DFA said. - Nikka Corsino/KBK, GMANews.TV

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