THE Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) suspended on Wednesday its search and rescue operations for the four missing passengers of the dive yacht which sank at the vicinity of the Tubbataha Reef in Palawan last Sunday.
“We suspended our search and rescue operations yesterday (Wednesday) due to bad weather. There are huge waves in the area, so we suspended it,” said PCG spokesman Rear Adm. Armand Balilo.
Balilo said all floating assets and personnel looking for the occupants of the ill-fated MY Dream Keeper were told to take shelter “so that their safety will not be compromised.”
“Tubbataha and the entire Palawan is affected by the prevailing bad weather. Our search and rescue operations will resume once there will be improved weather condition,” he said.
MY Dream Keeper, which came from Cebu City, sank about 4 nautical miles off Tubbataha Reef due to squall or a sudden violent gust of wind or a localized storm.
PCG personnel rescued 28 of those onboard the yacht but four others — two passengers, the yacht owner, and a dive master — remain missing.
“We’ve talked to the families of the victims, and they have opinions, they believe they (their relatives) are inside the sunken yacht. We are determining how to salvage the yacht with the hope of finding the four missing (individuals),” said Balilo.
Balilo said divers have been unable to go inside the yacht to check if the missing individuals are inside because the vessel is about 1,700 deep under water.
“We are looking at the possibility of hiring the services of a salvage company that has equipment (to check the vessel),” the PCG spokesman also said.
While the yacht is said to be loaded with 300 to 400 liters of diesel when it sank, Balilo reiterated there are still no threat of oil spill in the area.
