A team of Chinese surveyors conducting a feasibility study for a bridge project off Guimaras Strait successfully rescued two Filipino fishermen who were found floating in the high seas after their boats were overturned by strong winds and high waves early this month.
According to a report shared by the Chinese Embassy in Manila yesterday, the rescue incident occurred in the morning of March 1 when a marine water depth measurement team from CCCC Highway Consultants Co. Ltd., which was working on the China-aided feasibility study of PGN Island Bridges Project in the Philippines, saw two capsized boats, about five kilometers from the shores off Guimaras Strait.
At that time, the Chinese surveyors noted that the waves in the area were already about two to three meters high, and the sea conditions were rough. The captain of the Chinese surveying team also noticed two human figures floating from the distance.
Without hesitation, the surveyors sailed fast and when they got closer, they saw the two fishermen tightly holding on to the broken planks of the boats and calling for help. The surveyors and their crew immediately threw ropes and life jackets to the fishermen and pulled them out of the rough waters.
They also managed to tow the two damaged fishing boats back to the nearby Sibunag wharf.
After the rescue, the two fishermen narrated that they went fishing early in the morning when the tide was still low. To their surprise, the sea conditions abruptly changed and their boats were later capsized due to strong winds and tall waves.
They claimed they were already floating for more than an hour when the Chinese surveyors chanced upon them. The Filipino fishermen thanked the Chinese both for saving their lives and their properties. (Roy Mabasa)
