Philippines confirms safety of sailors captured by Houthi force

The 17 Filipino seafarers taken hostage by Yemen's Houthi rebels in November remain safe, the Philippines' Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) has confirmed.

Hanoi (VNA) - The 17 Filipino seafarers takenhostage by Yemen's Houthi rebels in November remain safe, the Philippines'Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) has confirmed.

They were allowed to contact their families and said theyare safe onboard the ship, DMW Undersecretary Hans Cacdac told a localtelevision interview on December 27 as reported by Xinhua news agency.

The official said the office received reports that the shipis still off the coast of Yemen.

The Filipino sailors were among the crewmembers of a cargovessel taken hostage by the force in the Red Sea in November. Local mediareported that 25 people were on board, including those from Bulgaria, Ukraine,the Philippines, Mexico and Romania./.

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