Two Filipino seafarers were killed in the Gulf of Aden Houthi attack, the Department of Migrant Workers confirmed 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,” DMW said.

“We in the Department of Migrant Workers sincerely extend our deepest condolences to the family and kin of our slain, heroic seafarers. For reasons of privacy, we are withholding their names and identities,” it added.

It also said that two other Filipino crewmen were severely injured in the attack on their ship.

The DMW, however, said it extends its fullest support and assistance to the families of its seafarers.

“The DMW is in touch with the ship’s manning agency and shipowner to ascertain the conditions of the rest of the ship’s crew, particularly the remaining Filipino crew members, as we have been informed that they have been taken to a safe port,” it said.

The DMW said it has already coordinated with the principal shipowner and manning agency to work on the repatriation of the remaining Filipino crew members.

The DMW reiterated its call to shipowners with ships navigating the volatile Red Sea – Gulf of Aden sea lanes to comply strictly with the expanded “high risk areas” designation and to implement appropriate risk mitigation measures, such as rerouting vessels and deploying armed security personnel onboard such vessels.

The DMW also called for continued diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions and to address the causes of the current conflict in the Middle East.