Metro Manila, Philippines – The Philippines confirmed on Sunday, Jan. 25, that it has received from China the 17 Filipino seafarers who were rescued after their vessel capsized near Scarborough Shoal, with coast guards of both countries searching for four more missing crew.
The Chinese Embassy in the Philippines was the first to announce the development, saying the China Coast Guard (CCG) handed over the rescued crew members of the MV Devon Bay, including the two dead, to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) at 2:43 p.m. on Sunday.
The PCG said the turnover operation was conducted at approximately 168 nautical miles west off Tambobong, Pangasinan.
“The rescued Filipino crew members were transferred using the rigid-hull inflatable boats of both vessels due to big waves prevailing in the area,” the PCG said in a statement.
“Meanwhile, the two cadavers that were transferred to the PCG will undergo proper disposition, in close coordination with the concerned authorities and the bereaved families,” it said.
PCG spokesperson Noemie Cayabyab said the PCG extends its appreciation to the CCG “for the humanitarian assistance and cooperation in ensuring safety of life at sea.”
She said the BRP Teresa Magbanua will arrive in Manila early Monday morning, Jan. 26.
The PCG said the BRP Cape San Agustin and the PCG Islander are continuing search and rescue operations for four more missing sailors.
The Chinese embassy also said the CCG will continue to organize relevant forces to do the same.
The Chinese military earlier said 17 crew members were rescued and two of them later died, after a report around 1:30 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 23, that a foreign cargo vessel had capsized in waters near the disputed Scarborough Shoal.
According to the PCG, MV Devon Bay’s last known position was at approximately 141 nautical miles west of Sabangan Point, Agno Bay, Pangasinan.
The Singaporean-flagged cargo vessel, which was loaded with iron ore, was en route to Yangjiang, China.
Scarborough Shoal is within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, but China took control of the disputed shoal after a 2012 standoff.
China does not recognize the 2016 arbitral award that rejected its expansive claims to almost the entire South China Sea.
