Vietnamese save11 Pinoy fishers

HANOI (AFP) — Eleven Filipino fishermen were rescued by two Vietnamese boats near the disputed Spratly islands after their vessel was badly damaged in a fierce storm, the Philippines Embassy in Hanoi said yesterday.

The fishermen were handed over to embassy officials on Wednesday in Vietnam’s central coastal city of Quy Nhon following a six-day ordeal at sea.

On March 3, two days after leaving the Philippines, a storm left their fishing boat with a serious leak that forced them to bail water around the clock to prevent it from sinking.

The boat drifted near Vietnamese territorial waters and on March 8 they were spotted by two Vietnamese boats and rescued. The crew reached shore on Monday and were handed over to local authorities.

"We are very grateful to Vietnam for the assistance accorded to our nationals," a spokeswoman for the Philippines Embassy told AFP.

The 11 fishermen, who are all in good health, will return home on Saturday, she added.

The Spratlys, a potentially oil-rich chain of islands around 450 kilometers off the coast of southern Vietnam, are claimed by Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, China and Taiwan, and are a source of regional