Seventeen crew members remain missing after the cargo vessel MV Eternity C sank in the Red Sea, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) confirmed Tuesday.

DMW Secretary Hans Cacdac said in a press briefing that the 17 missing included two fatalities earlier reported by the Department of Foreign Affairs.

However, the agency is still verifying the actual number of deaths following conflicting reports from international media outlets.

“There are many media reports about the fatalities: some say four, some say three. We will still have to confirm, and the best source at this stage is the seafarers themselves. Once we’re able to speak with the five, we’ll learn from them how many actually died and what happened to them,” Cacdac said in Filipino.

The bulk carrier had 22 crew members on board, with 21 Filipinos and one Russian national.

The five rescued seafarers, according to Cacdac, were spotted in the water by rescue teams. 

MV Eternity C was reported to have already tilted by Tuesday night before it sank at around 8AM Arabian Standard Time (around 1PM in PH.)

Details about the five rescued Filipinos have not been disclosed citing security concerns, but the DMW secretary assured that they are now safe and did not sustain any major injuries. He also expressed hope to speak with the seafarers in the soonest possible time. 

Search and rescue operations remain ongoing