ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines — A Vietnamese and his three-year-old daughter were rescued after they jumped off a ferry to avoid deportation in this city on Sunday.
Nguyen Thanh Truc, 37, and his daughter, both of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, arrived in this city on March 14 on board Antonia 1 from Sandakan, Sabah.
The ferry dropped anchor between Barangay Sta. Barbara and Sta. Cruz Island for quarantine and inspection, according to Col. Alexander Lorenzo, Zamboanga City police chief.
The Bureau of Immigration reportedly ordered the crewmembers of the ferry to bring the foreigners back to Sabah due to incomplete documents.
The order prompted Thanh Truc and his daughter to jump overboard at around 5:40 a.m.