2 Australians, 3 Filipinos rescued after boat engine conks out

TACLOBAN CITY–Two Australian nationals and three Filipinos were rescued after the motorboat they were riding capsized in waters between Southern Leyte and Dinagat provinces on Sunday (June 30).

The Australians—Grayham David Hasting, 60, and Donald Cox, 60,—were on board a still unnamed motorboat with three Filipino companions when its engine malfunctioned.

Capt. Barnio Catig, police chief of Hinundayan town, Southern Leyte, said in a phone interview that a staffer of the town’s disaster risk reduction and management office sought help. The incident happened in waters between Hinundayan and the town of Loreto in Dinagat Island province.

Police responded with help from the Coast Guard, said Catig. (Editor: Tony Bergonia)