The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) assured Monday that it has directed Philippine embassies and consulates in Europe to assist Filipinos stranded in various airports due to the volcanic eruption in Iceland.

“The DFA has mobilized Philippine Embassies and Consulates General in Europe to assist Filipinos stranded in various airports due to the volcanic ash fall from Iceland, especially overseas contract workers en route to or from work sites,” DFA spokesman J. Eduardo Malaya said.

“The DFA Migrant Workers’ Affairs Office has been closely monitoring the situation and directed concerned embassies to extend assistance to Filipinos stranded within their specific areas,” he said.

Among those stranded were 41 Filipino seafarers at the Kiev International Airport in Ukraine.

The DFA said it had given instructions to the Philippine Embassy in Moscow, which has jurisdiction over the Filipinos in Ukraine, to assist the 41 stranded Filipino seafarers.

The seafarers reportedly left Manila in three batches and were supposed to join MV Thomson Dream in Palermo, Italy last April 16 and 18 with a flight via Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Meanwhile, the DFA said that the 1,390 Filipinos based in Iceland are safe.

In a report to the DFA, Philippine Ambassador to Oslo, Norway Elizabeth Buensuceso said that Filipinos living and working in Iceland reside far from the Eyjafjallajokull volcano.

Earlier, the DFA said the 12 Filipinos stranded in Frankfurt, Germany, are now in the United Kingdom after the intercession by the Philippine Consulate General in Frankfurt.