5 Japanese crew members rescued near Oriental Mindoro

MANILA, Philippines — Members of the Philippine Coast Guard rescued five Japanese crew members Saturday morning aboard MV Catriona in waters off Navotas, Calapan in Oriental Mindoro after encountering a maritime incident.

The foreign nationals said they departed Japan en route to Davao before their fishing vessel was accidentally damaged, causing it to list. They were later rescued at around 6:30 a.m.

"Upon receipt of the report from a transiting vessel, the PCG Command Center coordinated with the Coast Guard District Southern Tagalog and PCG Station Oriental Mindoro to conduct a search and rescue operations, " said the Coast Guard in a social media post.

Those rescued to by the BRP Habagat (TB-271) were the following:

• Isuo Tamura: 86-years-old
• Hiromu Nisiha: 83-years-old
• Hamgayo Tsukasa: 80-years-old
• Osamu Kawakami: 74-years-old
• Hayaan Isamu: 74-years-old

"The PCG SAR team also confirmed that the five Japanese crew members of fishing vessel, MV CATRIONA, are in GOOD PHYSICAL CONDITION, " added the Coast Guard.

The PCG's BRP Hangat (TB-271) safely arrived at the Port of Calapan in Oriental Mindoro as of 9:10 a.m. today. — James Relativo