Coast Guard rescues 8 tourists, crewmen off Occidental Mindoro

Photo Caption: Philippine Coast Guard (PCG)-District Southern Tagalog rescues eight passengers onboard a tourist boat in Occidental Mindoro on December 26.

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) rescued eight passengers and crew members of a distressed vessel off Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro on Tuesday.

The PCG said four Filipino crew members, one Korean dive master, and three Korean tourists were on board MBCA Monaliza when it experienced engine failure due to a malfunctioning clutch lining while the vessel was returning from a diving spot in Sablayan.

The boat captain sought assistance from Coast Guard Sub-Station Sablayan around 1:20 p.m.

According to the PCG, the distressed tourist boat was located approximately nine nautical miles southwest of Sablayan Port.

The boat was safely towed to Sablayan Port.

The PCG identified the rescued passengers as boat captain Christian Lee Aracan and crew members Alexander Tria, Aldrin Pacheco, and Erick Aglinis, and South Koreans Seon Cheon Choi, Bae Woo Ri, Choi So Eun, and Lee Hyeok Ho.

On December 23, PCG-District Southern Tagalog also rescued nine passengers and crew members of a capsized motorized boat off Batangas.