Missing boat with 5 Americans found in Philippines
MIAMI, FL
A search ship guided by a spotter plane located the 38-foot
(11-meter) catamaran The Pineapple after it was spotted off the
southern island of Dinagat, coast guard chief Adm. Wilfredo Tamayo
said. The rescuers were escorting the vessel to its original
destination on central Cebu island, he said.
"They apparently had engine trouble while in rough seas,"
Tamayo told The Associated Press, adding that he was awaiting other
details.
The sailboat left Guam on Jan. 6 on a trip that normally would
take seven to 10 days, officials said. Relatives of the Americans
contacted the U.S. Coast Guard when it had not reached its
destination by Jan. 18, they said. The U.S. Coast Guard then asked
the Philippines to help in the search.
Guam, a U.S. territory, is about 1,400 miles (2,290 kilometers)
east of Cebu, where heavy rains and rough seas have been reported
in recent weeks.
"They're all in fine health," Tamayo said of the four men and
a woman on board the boat, including a Filipino-American in the
U.S. Air Force. Their identities and hometowns have not been
released by the U.S. Embassy in Manila.
A Philippine coast guard plane spotted the sailboat on Saturday
but could not identify the vessel due to poor visibility. The plane
returned after the weather cleared Sunday and confirmed it was the
missing boat, Tamayo said.
A video taken from a search plane showed four of the Americans
on top of the white-hulled catamaran, one apparently waving, as a
rubber boat with coast guard personnel approached.
U.S. authorities were informed of the discovery and have been in
touch with Philippine officials to provide help to the Americans,
U.S. Embassy spokeswoman Rebecca Thompson said.
Many Philippine provinces, particularly in the east, have
experienced rough seas amid unusually heavy rains since late
December. At least 68 people have died and 26 others remain missing
from the stormy weather set off by a cold front.
The coast guard rescued 260 of 277 people aboard nearly a dozen
boats that sank, overturned or ran into trouble last week due to
the inclement weather. Fifteen remain missing while two drowned,
the officials said.