Global Courant 2023-04-30 15:56:23
MANILA — Rescue workers were searching for four people on Sunday after a boat carrying more than a dozen divers sank off a World Heritage-listed marine reserve in the Philippines.
The Philippine Coast Guard said 28 people were rescued after the boat, Dream Keeper, sank in the pristine waters of Tubbataha Reef off western Palawan province on Sunday morning.
Four Chinese were among those on board the submarine.
The ship’s owner, a divemaster and two guests are still missing, said Rear Admiral Armando Balilo, the Coast Guard spokesman.
A Coast Guard vessel and about 10 submarines searched the water.
“It is now full of diving enthusiasts and it is on their bucket list. It’s a dream dive,” said Rear-Adm Balilo, referring to Tubbataha.
The 97,000-acre Tubbataha Reef is one of the largest marine protected areas in the Philippines and was designated a World Heritage Site by the United Nations in 1993.
Despite its protected status, the marine reserve is under constant threat from illegal fishing and poaching, according to authorities. AFP
