The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has rescued five fishermen while three others remain missing after their boat was struck by an unidentified vessel near Corregidor Island on February 19.
In a statement, the Coast Guard District National Capital Region – Central Luzon confirmed that the rescued fishermen were aboard the fishing vessel FBCA Prince Elmo 2 when it was hit by an unknown vessel in an undisclosed location.
The ramming incident occurred on January 30, but authorities were only notified of the accident on February 16.
The Filipino fishermen were first rescued by MV Dong An near Vietnam, where they were found clinging to the bow of their damaged boat.
The PCG deployed BRP Boracay along with medical and nursing personnel to retrieve the rescued fishermen and later turned them over to the Coast Guard Sub-station Naic and the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) in Naic on Thursday morning.
Meanwhile, the Coast Guard conducted a search operation for the three missing fishermen but was unable to locate them.