An Australian resort owner was rescued from a capsized boat alongside a guest from his home country and three Filipinos off Southern Leyte.
The five men were picked up by the coast guard after their boat capsized in rough waters on the way from Hinunangan in Southern Leyte to Loreto in Surigao Del Norte today (Sunday, June 30).
The Australians — Grahame David Hastings, aged 60, the owner of the Tahusan Garden Resort, and his guest Donald Cox, also 60 — were found on the motorboat alongside three Filipino companions after its engine had malfunctioned.
The three local men have been identified as Jar-ar Aradaza, 19; Serecio Adanza, 40; and Michael Samatina, 33.
It is believed the five men were on a leisure fishing expedition when they got into difficulty this morning.
Captain Barnio Catig, police chief of Hinundayan town, Southern Leyte, told The Inquirer in a telephone interview that a staffer of the town’s disaster risk reduction and management office had raised the alarm.
The Coast Guard were supported by the police when they rushed to the rescue, Capt. Catig added.
Police said the five left Hinunangan town’s Barangay Tahusan before dawn on a motor banca. Then, at about 10am, the sea grew rough, causing the boat to begin sinking midway between Hinunangan and Loreto towns.
One of the five men on board was able to call for rescue. However, it wasn’t until early in the afternoon that rescuers were able to locate the boat and make a rescue.
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