Drone found in Pangasinan

MANILA, Philippines — A suspected underwater drone was found by fishermen in the waters off Pangasinan on Wednesday, according to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).

“The fishermen were sailing along the coast of Bolinao town when they spotted a floating orange object believed to be an underwater drone,” Commodore Jay Tarriela, PCG spokesman for the West Philippine Sea (WPS), posted on social media yesterday.

The fishermen brought the object to the shore and informed the PCG Infanta substation.

“The suspected underwater drone is approximately 160 centimeters long, 20 inches wide and weighs around 100 kilos,” Tarriela reported.

The object was surrendered to authorities for investigation and analysis.

Tarriela said he has more information to disclose about the object, such as the drone’s origin and usage or purpose.

A week ago, Tarriela reported that the PCG tracked the navigation of three Chinese research vessels in the WPS – Bei Diao 996 near Panatag or Scarborough Shoal, and Xiang Yang Hong 10 and Zhuhai Yun off the coast of Rizal in Palawan.

The research vessels are reportedly capable of conducting underwater surveillance with the aid of unmanned vehicles like drones, Tarriela said.