MANILA, July 8 (Xinhua) -- The Philippine Coast Guard has called off the search for the missing 12 fishermen and two passengers of the Philippine fishing boat that sank off Occidental Mindoro province on June 27 after colliding with a bulk carrier, PCG Commandant Vice Admiral George Ursabia said on Wednesday.
Ursabia met with the families of the missing Filipinos on Wednesday. At the meeting he informed the families that the PCG will continue to "actively monitor" the waters off Mamburao town where the collision occurred and nearby coastal areas.
"Mobile patrol operations along the shoreline of Mamburao town will be sustained to locate (the missing) victims," he told the families.
Ursabia also informed the relatives of the victims that the PCG has filed a motion to prevent the crew of the cargo vessel MV Vienna Wood from leaving the Philippines while the investigation is ongoing.
According to a PCG statement, Ursabia "guaranteed the families that a hold departure order against MV Vienna Wood will be issued this week to ensure that the bulk carrier will remain under the custody of the Philippines."
Not one of the missing 12 fishermen and two passengers aboard the sunken fishing boat which was headed to a fishing port in Manila have been found. The boat collided with the Australia-bound MV Vienna Wood close to midnight on June 27.
The PCG speculated that the 14 missing people may have been trapped inside the sunken boat approximately 2,000 meters deep.
The PCG blamed the collision on poor visibility and poor sea condition due to heavy downpour. Enditem
