3 Filipinos die in UAE floods — DMW

The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) on Thursday reported that at least three Filipinos have died amid the flooding in the United Arab Emirates.

"With extreme sadness, we report the death of 3 OFWs during the flooding in UAE. Two OFWs died due to suffocation inside their vehicle during the flood. One other OFW died due to a vehicular accident. We shall provide utmost support and assistance to their families," DMW officer-in-charge Hans Cacdac said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

Cacdac told GMA Integrated News that the victims' next of kin have been informed.

However, Cacdac said he was not at liberty to disclose the names of the three OFWs as of posting time.

Two of the victims are females while one is male, the DMW chief said.

In a statement to the media, the DMW extended its "heartfelt condolences and sympathies" to the families and relatives of the departed OFWs.

The DMW said its Migrant Workers Office has been working closely with the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) offices in Dubai and Abu Dhabi to provide all assistance to the families of the three OFWs.

"The department assures the families of the three OFWs of its fullest support and assistance," the statement read.

Relief operations for OFWs

Earlier in the day, the DMW said Philippine offices in Abu Dhabi and Dubai were preparing to distribute relief goods, basic necessities, and other essential items to overseas Filipino worker (OFW) communities in Al Ain and Dubai.

"MWO (Migrant Workers Office) Dubai and Abu Dhabi are working closely with the Philippine Embassy and Consulate General and coordinating with Filipino communities to assist our OFWs," the DMW said in a separate statement.

Public assistance and training areas of MWO-Dubai were flooded on Wednesday but these have already been cleaned, the DMW added.

Cacdac said 648,929 Filipinos are in Dubai, but none have requested to be repatriated amid the floods.

The rains were the heaviest experienced by the United Arab Emirates in the 75 years that records have been kept. They brought much of the country to a standstill and caused significant damage. — VDV, GMA Integrated News