A yacht carrying divers ran aground in Palawan province in the western Philippines on Sunday, June 14.
The 173GT Philippine Siren 2 was at anchor some seven nautical miles off Palawan's Tubbataha Reef National Park when a sudden squall caused her to run aground on Sunday morning (local time).
The Philippine Coast Guard deployed personnel aboard a Tubbataha Reef Ranger Station patrol boat to assess the situation and to render assistance to those on the stranded yacht.
All 14 of the yacht's passengers and four of its 10 crewmembers were later safely evacuated onto another yacht that had diverted to the area. This other yacht transported the rescued occupants to Puerto Princesa City in Palawan later that same day.
The 10 remaining crewmembers have stayed behind on Philippine Siren 2 to monitor the situation.
The coast guard Parola-class multi-role response vessel BRP Cape Engaño has also been deployed to the area to support environmental protection efforts, though officials have assured that no oil spills or any other signs of pollution have been detected in the waters around the stranded yacht.
