Injured OFWs evacuated to Kish island

The Philippines' Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said 446 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Iran were injured and evacuated to Kish island after several Iranians reportedly attacked all the foreign workers at a construction project in Buscher province.

In a report, Philippine Ambassador to Tehran, Ernesto Llamas, said the Iranian workers "attacked" all foreign workers at the South Pars Gas Refinery Project in Bandar Assaluyeh, Bushehr, early this week.

Llamas added that a number of the 600-strong Filipino workers in South Pars suffered slight injuries, while 400 have been transferred to a safer place and 134 are still at their quarters at the project site.

He said the violent incident started when Indian workers attacked some Iranian workers who were allegedly caught stealing. Then the Iranians who were beaten up stormed the Indian camp; subsequently, the Iranians also attacked the other camps.

Besides Filipinos, Indians, Thais and Italians are also employed at the refinery project handled by the South Korean conglomerate, Hyundai Engineering and Construction Company. The French oil firm, Total, subcontracted the project to Hyundai.

Llamas said that as early as April, Filipino workers had complained to the Philippine embassy that their fellow Iranian workers have been stealing and destroying property at the project site. He said the Filipinos had also claimed that the security guards were allegedly in cahoots with the Iranian workers.

DFA spokesman Victoriano Lecaros said the Hyundai management has offered to repatriate Filipino workers who are willing to return to the Philippines.