Manila, July 10 -- The Department of Migrant Workers is working on verifying reports that Houthi forces may have kidnapped several crew members of MV Eternity C after attacking and sinking the vessel while traversing the Red Sea.

In a Palace briefing on Thursday, Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said that five Filipino crew and an Indian armed guard, out of the 22 crew of MV Eternity C, have been rescued from the waters, while the rest are considered missing.

"We are fully aware of the at least two statements that have come out. The first of course is the Houthi statement that they have several, quote-unquote, of the Eternity Sea crew. And the second is the statement of the United States that they denounced this particular acti...