6 Pinoy Seafarers Arrive Home After Rescue

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Six Filipino seafarers who were rescued after their Korean-flagged fishing vessel sank in New Zealand are back in the Philippines, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Thursday.

Jessie Perez, Allan Ilao, Edwin Gonzales, Arnel Amodo, Rolan Rola, and Christoper Gampayon arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport from Singapore on August 23, according to a DFA statement.

They received assistance from the DFA Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs.

Dunedin, New Zealand. Photo credit: http://maps.google.com/

They were among the 45 seafarers aboard the Oyang 70, which sank some 400 nautical miles east of Dunedin in South Island, New Zealand on August 18. The crew was made up of Koreans, Indonesians, Chinese, and Filipinos.

Three of the ship’s crewmembers died during the incident, while 3 others remain missing and are presumed dead, the DFA said.

None of the missing or dead are Filipinos, according to the report from the Rescue Coordination Center New Zealand.

The survivors were rescued by the Amantal Atlantis and were taken to Lyttelton in South Island on August 20, the Philippine embassy in New Zealand said.

All of the Filipino seafarers are in good condition.

Before arriving home in Manila, they were paid their wages, a cash bonus, an amount to cover their property loss, and other benefits, the DFA said.

Source: ABS-CBN News