Hong Kong, Philippines Officials Search For 5 Yacht Passengers Hit By Typhoon Mujigae

MANILA, Philippines -- Hong Kong rescue authorities have spotted two bodies as they search for a yacht that went missing amid Typhoon Mujigae, the Philippine Coast Guard said Wednesday.

Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Armand Balilio told International Business Times he received an email Wednesday from the Hong Kong Maritime Rescue Coordination Center that said they saw the bodies about 220 nautical miles west of the northern Philippine city of Laoag.

Balilio said that's near where a Philippine coast guard plane spotted a body Tuesday, adding that none of the bodies have been recovered so it's unknown whether any of them came from the vessel. He also said it's unclear whether the body spotted Tuesday was one of those spotted Wednesday.

The yacht left Hong Kong Thursday and was due in Subic Bay Sunday or Monday, Balilio told IBT in a phone interview. On board were a British resident of Hong Kong, an American, a Canadian, a British citizen and a Filipino, all residents of the Philippines, he said.

On Saturday, the vessel's emergency radio system was activated, indicating possible trouble, according to the South China Morning Post. Mujigae, the strongest storm to hit southern China this month, was over the South China Sea over the weekend.

While the bodies are nearer the Philippines than Hong Kong, Hong Kong vessels are closer to the area, Balilio said.