Manila - The Philippine coast guard on Sunday found a missing US sailboat off a southern island, with its five American passengers safe on board.
The 11.5-metre boat left Guam on January 6 en route to the central Philippine city of Cebu when it went missing.
Coast guard spokesman Commander Armand Balilo said the boat was spotted off the southern island of Dinagat, west of its final destination.
He said contact had been made and a rescue vessel was on the way.
Balilo said four men and one woman were spotted safe inside.
Relatives of the passengers reported the sailboat missing after it failed to reach Cebu by the expected date of January 16.
The eastern and southern Philippines have been battered by heavy rains and rough seas for the past three weeks, triggering floods and landslides that have killed 68 people.
Twenty-six people, mostly fishermen, were also reported missing in the bad weather caused by the tail-end of a cold front, according to the weather bureau. -
Sapa-dpa