OFWs in Afghanistan crash defied ban - OWWA

by Babel-Fish | July 21, 2009 at 05:31 pm

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MANILA, Philippines - The 10 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) killed in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan had defied the government ban on deployment to war-torn countries, the Overseas Workers’ Welfare Administration (OWWA) said yesterday.

OWWA chief Carmelita Dimzon said the 10 OFWs were deployed to work in the Middle East in 2004 but apparently slipped into Afghanistan as illegal workers.

“Based on our records, they had already returned (to the Philippines) after working in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Iraq, but left again as tourists first week of July,” Dimzon said.

The 10 workers had entered Dubai as tourists, she added.

Dimzon said the OWWA is still trying to determine how the workers ended up in Afghanistan from Dubai.

I read this story with some interest as seemingly there was not report that Filipino's were aboard the NATO hired helicopter when it crashed. My heart goes out to all the loveones and families of those that died.

A civilian helicopter has crashed in southern Afghanistan, killing at least 16 people, a military official has told the BBC.

The helicopter crashed at the Kandahar airfield, Nato's largest base in southern Afghanistan, apparently as it was trying to take off.

Reports from Moscow say the helicopter was a Russian-built Mi-8.