Manila: Philippine coast guard rescuers found five missing Americans on Sunday aboard their sailboat reported lost en route from Guam. All those aboard are fine.
A search ship guided by a spotter plane located and boarded the 38-foot catamaran The Pineapple after it was spotted off the southern island of Dinagat, coast guard chief Adm. Wilfredo Tamayo said.
The rescuers are escorting the vessel to its original destination on central Cebu island.
"They're all in fine health," Tamayo said of four men and a woman on board The Pineapple who included a Filipino-American in the US Air Force.
Their identities and hometowns have not been released.
"They apparently had engine trouble while in rough seas," Tamayo told The Associated Press, adding that he was awaiting other details.
US authorities have been informed about the discovery and were in touch with Philippine officials to provide help to the Americans, US Embassy spokeswoman Rebecca Thompson said.
Relatives of the Americans contacted the US Coast Guard saying that the catamaran left Guam on January 6 but had not reached its destination on Cebu Island, Tamayo said.
A Philippine coast guard plane spotted the catamaran on Saturday but could not identify the vessel due to poor visibility.
The plane returned to the area after the weather cleared on Sunday and confirmed it was the missing sailboat, Tamayo said.
