CEBU, Philippines - Four passengers, including three Japanese nationals, were rescued after a motorized banca took in water and capsized in the seawaters off Barangay Looc, Danao City yesterday afternoon.
Keisuke Ichikawa, 31; Yuta Tamaka, 26; Komi Yamauchi, 30; and their Filipina tour guide were rescued at sea past 2 p.m. But the two crew of the motorbanca, one of them the owner, decided to remain with the stricken vessel to guard it.
In an interview over Power FM Ormoc, the rescued tour guide who asked not to be named said that the motorbanca left Danao wharf for Santiago Bay in Camotes Island around noon yesterday.
However 30 minutes into the voyage they experienced engine trouble and the vessel started taking on water and went under. The crew and the passengers grabbed parts of the submerged motorbanca to stay afloat.
At around 2:40 p.m., the crew of the St Emmanuel, a Supercat fast craft heading to Ormoc, saw them afloat. The crew rescued them but the banca owner and his crew decided to stay and guard the vessel.
The three Japanese and the tour guide were brought to the Coast Guard station in Ormoc and were immediately treated for minor injuries.
Ormoc Coast Guard Deputy for Operations Salby Habdullah said that they coordinated with Coast Guard Cebu for the immediate rescue of the owner of the motor banca and his crew who were still at sea as of press time.
Coast Guard Danao City in Cebu confirmed that they have conducted a search and rescue operations but declined to discuss the details of the operation. (FREEMAN)