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Rescue team saved from distress
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Posted on Mar 02 2001
A Saipan-bound international carrier that chanced upon a bizarre flashing of white light on CNMI waters Wednesday night played a key role that led to the rescue of four individuals stranded on a distressed vessel between Tinian and Rota.
Apparently halfway through a rescue operation, Department of Public Safety’s Tinian Rescue Boat signaled for aid when the 31-footer boat fountain stopped in the middle of the ocean for an unspecified vessel trouble.
The Continental Micronesia flight from Guam spotted the emergency sign and relayed the message to the Saipan International Airport control tower.
The tower then alerted the Emergency Management Office and the Saipan Boating Safety, who promptly contacted the US Coast Guard on Guam to deploy a navy chopper, the Hilo 5, in search for something amiss in between Tinian and Rota seas.
DPS spokesperson Cecil Celes said yesterday the Hilo 5 discovered the distressed vessel 23 miles southeast of the island of Tinian. With advise from the coast guard, the chopper escorted the ship back to the Tinian channel with aid from the Saipan Boating Safety.
After spending over 10 hours at sea, the Tinian rescue boat made it safely back to the island at around 1:30am.
According to information gathered by Sgt. Eugene Villagomez, the Tinian Boating Safety team was headed to Tinian from Rota to assist a 19-footer boat that belonged to the Department of Lands and Natural Resources.
The distressed rescue boat was occupied by two police officers and two DLNR personnel, who were reportedly unharmed and in fine condition at the time of the rescue.
DPS expects to gather complete information today on the incident, after authorities probe into the cause of the vessel’s unexpected halt in the middle of the ocean.
