News update 3 Chinese Crew Men Rescued; 21 Still Missing

BATANES, Philippines - Three of 25 Chinese crew members of Panamanian-flagged "M/V Masco Diamond 8," which sank Wednesday in high seas east of Itbayat, Batanes, were rescued alive Friday even as one other crewman was found dead, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said. Lieutenant Commander Armando Balilo, PCG Public Information Officer and deputy chief of staff for Community Relations, said the Japanese Coast Guard (JCG) which is also involved in search-and-rescue operations picked up the three survivors and retrieved one body of a sailor. Balilo said the survivors and the fatality were plucked in separate locations near Itbayat . "Based on the report to us by the Coast Guard Northern Luzon (CGNLZ) District, they (the survivors and casualty) were spotted and airlifted by a Japanese Coast Guard rescue chopper and safely brought to their patrol vessel," he said. With this development, Balilo said the PCG-251 Islander Plane continued to circle the vicinity where the vessel sank in search for the 21 other missing Chinese crew members of M/V Masco Diamond 8. "They are conducting aerial search as of now and we are waiting for the latest development and we hope that the remaining 21 missing crew members will be all rescued alive, said Balilo, adding that the search is centered in the area where the sunken vessel last communicated with the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), based on the information received from Senior Colonel Chen Fangming, military attaché of the People's Republic of China to the Philippines.