9 Chinese, 2 British rescued from sunken yacht near Batanes

MANILA, Philippines—Eleven foreign nationals from Hong Kong were rescued after the yacht they were riding sank off the island-province of Batanes, a report from Radyo Inquirer 990AM said Tuesday.

Batanes is on the topmost part of Northern Philippines.

Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Lieutenant Commander Armand Balilo said there were nine Chinese and two British nationals who were rescued by cargo vessel MV Easy Access, a Hong Kong cargo ship, after they floated for few hours on the waters off Itbayat Island in Batanes following the sinking of their yacht named “Tipsy Frenz.”

According to a report from Associated Press, the yacht was sailing from Hong Kong to Taiwan as part of a race when strong winds from a typhoon capsized it.

Huge waves brought by typhoon Ambo (international name Mawar) caused the yacht to capsize and sink, the report said.

The rescued sailors were taken to Manila’s harbor Tuesday and will be handed over to their respective embassies after medical examination.

For the full report, listen to the attached audio clip from Radyo Inquirer.  Jamie Marie Elona, INQUIRER.net

Originally posted at 13:08 pm | Tuesday, June 05,  2012