The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said that a Filipino seafarer has been reported missing after a tugboat was deployed to assist a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz.

DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said the family of the 46-year-old seafarer from Capalonga town in Camarines Norte was informed by the logistics company employing him that a missile attack hit a United Arab Emirates-flagged tug Mussafah 2 on March 6.

On Sunday, the DMW declared the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz as a “War Risk Operations Area” amid escalating tensions in the Middle East.

According to the family, the seafarer had sent them a video message while their vessel was sailing to assist a stranded container ship.

They are now appealing for more information about the incident and the status of the missing crew member.