DFA hopes to find 5 missing Pinoy seafarers soon

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Monday has voiced hope that the five Filipino seafarers reported missing off the waters in Hawaii would still be found.

"The five were among 21 Filipino crew members of the MV Sincerity Ace who abandoned the Panamanian-flagged vessel after it caught fire on New Year’s Eve some 1,800 nautical miles northwest of Oahu," DFA said in a statement.

Search and rescue operations for the missing overseas Filipino workers were launched by the ship's manning agency by sending a tugboat and a vessel to the area.

"The 16 other Filipino seafarers were rescued by the United States Coast Guard and other passing merchant vessels. Most of them have since returned to the Philippines," it added.

The ship from Japan, carrying 3,500 brand new vehicles, was bound for Hawaii when it caught fire.

The crew was then forced to escape the burning ship. —Dona Magsino/BAP, GMA News