The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has shifted to search and retrieval operations for the four persons who went missing after a dive yacht sank near the Tubbataha Reef in Palawan on April 30.
“The directive took effect last May 7 (Sunday),” the PCG said in a statement on Monday.
The dive yacht M/Y Dream Keeper was carrying 15 crew members, 12 passengers and five dive masters when it sank in the vicinity of the world-renowned scuba diving site in late April.
Twenty-eight people were initially rescued aboard the yacht.
The four missing individuals include the yacht owner, two passengers and one dive master, the PCG said.
Three US air assets were deployed from two sites under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement with the United States—Antonio Bautista Air Base in Puerto Princesa, Palawan and Benito Ebuen Air Base in Mactan, Cebu—to help in the search efforts.
—Frances Mangosing
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