A YACHT sank at the vicinity of Tubbataha Reef in Palawan Sunday morning, leaving four people still missing, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reported.
PCG spokesman Rear Adm. Armand Balilo said the ill-fated MY Dream Keeper left San Remegio in Cebu City last Thursday afternoon for Tubattaha Reef, a known scuba diving site, especially during the dry season in the Philippines.
Tubattaha Reef has been declared by the United Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as a world heritage site in 1993. Its ecosystems support 360 species of coral and almost 700 species of fish.
Balilo said MY Dream Keeper, which was contracted by tourists wanting to have a diving experience at the Tubattaha Reef, arrived at its destination at around 10 p.m. on Saturday.
At around 6:49 a.m. on Sunday, the PCG Command Center received information from the Coast Guard District Palawan regarding the sinking of the yacht.
The PCG has dispatched BRP Melchora Aquino to the area to conduct search and rescue operation. The effort is being augmented by the Coast Guard Sub-Station Tubattaha.
Balilo said the AFP Western Command is helping in the ongoing search and rescue operations for the four missing passengers.
Balilo said 32 people were on board MY Dream Keeper, composed of 12 passengers, 15 crewmembers and five dive masters.
He said 28 of those onboard, including four Chinese, were rescued while four remains missing — the yacht’s owner, two guests, and a dive master who are all Filipinos.
“We are still checking why the yacht sank because weather was good at that time,” said Balilo, adding however that the PCG is more focused on the search for the missing individuals.
The incident came a couple of days after a dredger, Sierra Leone-flagged MV Hong Hail 189, capsized off Corregidor Island after a collision with oil tanker, Marshall Island-flagged MT Petite Soeur.
Three crewmembers of MV Hong Hail died, one of whom was among the 16 who were initially rescued. Two others remain missing as of yesterday and are subject of continuing search and rescue efforts.
