The Philippine Navy has extended the coverage of the search for the individuals who have gone missing after a recreational dive boat capsized off the southern Philippines last month.
The search for the missing passengers and crew of the dive boat Amejara has now extended into Indonesian waters. A TC-90 maritime surveillance aircraft was recently used to conduct aerial inspections just beyond the maritime boundary between the two countries.
The navy said the extended search within Indonesian waters is being carried out with the approval of the Indonesian Government and in cooperation with the Indonesian military.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Navy Jacinto-class corvette BRP Artemio Ricarte has been conducting patrols off Sarangani province to attempt to locate any sign of the missing dive boat or its occupants.
Amejara had sailed out of the municipality of Governor Generoso in Davao Occidental province with 11 divers and four crewmembers at around 13:00 local time on January 19. Just hours later, however, the boat capsized in the Davao Gulf due to strong winds and rough waves.
Only one survivor, identified as one of the four crewmembers, has been found while the bodies of six deceased victims were recovered within a week following the incident.
The loss of Amejara occurred within the same 48-hour period as two other capsizing incidents in southern Philippine waters – one off Tawi-Tawi province (all passengers and crew rescued) and another off Surigao del Norte province (one dead).
