The 15 Filipino sailors who survived a cargo ship capsizing incident in the South China Sea late last week have been turned over to the Philippine Government.
Officials of the Philippine Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) received the 15 survivors among the 21-strong, all-Filipino crew of the ill-fated bulk carrier Devon Bay from representatives of the China Coast Guard (CCG) during an at-sea transfer 168 nautical miles off Pangasinan province on Sunday, January 25.
The survivors were then brought aboard the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) multi-role response vessel (MRRV) BRP Teresa Magbanua, where a team of DMV officials awaited them. The MRRV arrived in Manila the following morning (local time) to offload the survivors.
Meanwhile, the bodies of the two crewmen who perished in the incident have been handed over by the CCG to the DMW and representatives of the ship's manning agency.
The PCG said the remains will undergo "proper disposition" in close coordination with relevant authorities and the families of the deceased.
The PCG has also assured that its vessels and aircraft will continue their search for the ship's four missing crewmen.
The Singaporean-flagged Devon Bay was carrying a cargo of iron ore to Yangjiang in China when she capsized and sank near Scarborough Shoal on the morning of Friday, January 23.
The PCG and the CCG then launched separate rescue operations in response to the incident.
According to the Chinese Embassy in Manila, the CCG's vessels were the first to arrive on-scene, and their crews were able to pull the 15 survivors and the two deceased crewmen out of the water.
