All 19 Filipino seafarers aboard a cargo vessel that sank off Spain have been rescued, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Wednesday. DFA spokesman Eduardo Malaya cited initial reports indicating that the Filipinos, who he did not name, were rescued, Radio dzBB reported Wednesday. Initial reports indicated that the cargo vessel “Kea” sank off Cape Vilano in Galicia, Spain, due to bad weather. The vessel was carrying ammonium nitrate. The vessel's crew included 19 Filipinos, two Croatians and seafarers from Ghana, Russia and Latvia. Kea was heading for Colombia from St. Petersburg, Russia, when it sank. In a text message to abs-cbnNEWS.com, the DFA spokesman said the Philippine embassy in Madrid has already been instructed to look after the welfare of the seafarers. Spanish and Portuguese maritime rescue services saved 22 of the 24 crew, but they were still searching for two more who remained missing. The Barbados-registered vessel began keeling over late Monday and sank early Tuesday afternoon about 160 nautical miles off Cape Vilano. Reports said bad weather and the distance of the ship from the coast complicated the rescue effort.
