Filipino seafarers safe after South Korea tanker blast

MANILA, Philippines — The 15 Filipino seafarers, who were crew members of an oil tanker that exploded in a South Korean port last Saturday, are safe.

The Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the Filipino seafarers, along with Russians and other crew members, were evacuated after a huge blast of the Stolt Groenland tanker in Ulsan, South Korea.

The explosion that sparked a fire spread to a nearby vessel, which injured nine other seafarers.

The DFA said two of the injured seafarers on the second vessel were reportedly Filipinos.

"The Philippine Embassy in Seoul is closely coordinating with the South Korean authorities to ascertain their condition and make sure that they are out of harm's way," the DFA said in a statement.

The South Korean Coast Guard reported that all of the 25 aboard the Cayman Islands-flagged tanker and the 21 people on the second ship have been rescued.

The tanker comprised of 10 Russians, including the captain, according to the Russian vice consul in Busan. None of them had been seriously injured.

The South Korean Coast Guard is investigating the cause of the blast. — Patricia Lourdes Viray with reports from AFP