4 passengers of ill-fated yacht still missing in Tubbataha

INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY — Days after dive yacht M/Y Dream Keeper sank in the waters of Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park on April 30, search and rescue teams have yet to find its four missing passengers, the Coast Guard said Monday, May 1.

Coast Guard District Palawan district commander Captain Dennis Rem Labay said in a private message that the four may have been trapped inside the yacht that sank some 1,000-1,500 meters under water at the north atoll of the park. He told reporters that the boat sank some 4 nautical miles northeast of the reefs’ north atoll.

The four missing are a Chinese male, a female dive master, and two guests (a male and a female).

“There are many possibilities – they were trapped, got drowned, or anything, we really cannot say,” Labay told media.

The dive yacht, which departed from San Remegio, Cebu on April 27, arrived on Tubbataha Reefs around 10 p.m. on Saturday.

Labay, in an earlier message, said Coast Guard personnel assigned at the TRNP ranger station reported that the yacht was hit by a squall or sudden surge of rain and violent winds late night Saturday.

Labay said that based on the accounts of the ship captain, who was among those rescued, the squall caught them by surprise when it hit them early morning. A squall is a sudden and unpredictable violent gust of wind or a localized storm.

“And when the boat tilted to its side because the wind was really violent, they made contact with the nearest dive boat – M/Y Discover Palawan – which immediately responded and where the survivors were transferred. But unfortunately the four went missing up to now,” he added.

Labay further explained that considering the depth of the waters where the yacht sank, it was not possible to conduct a dive search. Instead, PCG is doing a surface search while tracking the possible location where the yacht might have drifted.

“We might consider some dives once the possible location is pinpointed but the 1,500 meters [depth] cannot be reached by divers,” he said.

Labay added that the PCG might have to hire a salvor for a salvage operation. A salvor is a person who specializes in salvaging sunken ships or recovering items lost at sea.

Addressing concerns of oil spill in the area, Labay discounted its possibility noting that the yacht was carrying automotive diesel, not industrial oil.

He said diesel easily dissipates unlike oil that turns into slick and stays on the water.

“The boat is carrying around 300-400 liters [of diesel] so if ever it comes out, in a few hours after it gerts exposed in heat, it will dissipate,” he explained.

Meanwhile, the 28 passengers and crew of the yacht who survived the incident arrived on Monday afternoon in this city aboard PCG vessel BRP Melchora Aquino.

The survivors declined to be interviewed by waiting media and immediately boarded a waiting coaster.

Labay said the survivors, most of whom are from Cebu, are now waiting for their families so they could go back home.

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