Philippines to ban deployment of workers to Yemen

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - The Philippine government will impose a ban on the deployment of Filipino workers to Yemen, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said today.

This came after the government raised to Level 3 its crisis alert in Yemen following an attack on its Defense Ministry resulting in the death of 53 people, including seven Filipinos, last week.

"Filipinos will likewise be advised to defer travel to Yemen regardless of purpose," DFA spokesman Raul Hernandez said.

Hernandez said all 40 Filipinos working for the Yemeni Defense Ministry Hospital have already been accounted for.

The Philippine government has earlier condemned the attack on the Yemeni Defense Ministry.