AT LEAST TWO Filipinos were injured following an Oct. 10 missile and drone attacks on an international airport in Saudi Arabia, a migrant workers official said on Sunday.
As of 11 a.m. Philippine time, both Filipinos remain in intensive care units to recover from injuries sustained during attacks on King Khalid International Airport, Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Hans Leo J. Cacdac said in an X post.
At least 12 people were killed and more than 300 wounded in the third attack on the airport this week. The Saudi civil aviation authority said the dead include four Saudis, two Bangladeshis and one person each from the United States, Jordan, Palestine, Syria, Sudan and Egypt.
All three strikes are attributed to the Houthis, a military, political and religious group ruling most of northwest Yemen. The Houthis have not directly claimed responsibility for the attack, but a Saudi-led coalition plans to respond.
On Sunday, the Houthis renewed their warnings against using Saudi airports, saying the kingdom “bore responsibility for failed interceptions.”
Meanwhile, eight Filipino seafarers arrived in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 8 after evacuating the MT Kazimah III, a Kuwait-flagged oil tanker struck on Oct. 1 by an unidentified projectile in the Strait of Hormuz.
In a statement on Sunday, the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi said it provided airport assistance to assist the seafarers journey and repatriation to the Philippines.
The embassy’s assistance reflects the Philippine government’s continuing commitment to the welfare of Filipino seafarers, particularly those on high-risk maritime routes.
Also on Sunday, the DMW in a statement said all Filipinos in Panama are reported to be safe following two powerful earthquakes that struck the South American nation on Oct. 9.
The Department of Foreign Affairs also confirmed the DMW’s report in a text to BusinessWorld. Referencing the Philippine Embassy in Mexico, the agency said there are no reports of Filipinos affected by the earthquake.
The 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck southern Panama on Oct. 9 at 12:56 p.m. local time, with its epicenter located near Pitaloza Arriba, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). The USGS later detected a second 6.6-magnitude earthquake, with an epicenter 14 kilometers west of Río Grande.
Seismologists recorded more than 100 aftershocks, with some measuring magnitudes 5.8, 5.5 and 5.2. The government of Panama declared a state of emergency on Oct. 11 as these aftershocks continued for hours. — Francessca S. Abalos