Spaniards rescued in Malaysia 'never lost hope'

Spanish nationals Marta Miguel and David Hernandez, who disappeared 11 days ago while sailing in Malaysian waters north of Borneo island, said on Friday that they never lost hope of being rescued.

"We always had hope, we never thought that this was the end," Miguel told EFE after passing a checkup at Gleneagles Hospital in the northeastern state of Sabah.

Miguel and Hernandez, along with Malaysian national Ali Hassan Armella and Chinese Tommy Lam, were rescued on Thursday by Vietnamese fishermen in waters in the South China Sea, about 370 km west of where they disappeared.

The four were travelling in a 12-metre-long boat from Balambangan island to Kudat, Sabah state, on a route that usually takes about two hours.

But a wave knocked them over, and broke the boat's engine, causing the vessel to drift as it was dragged by the current.

"The first three days we saw the coast is far but after the seventh day we could not see the coast," said Miguel, hours after stepping on land.

Good weather, a calm sea and fish jumping into the boat helped them survive until they were rescued by the fishermen.

"The sea is relentless but was also generous to us," Hernandez said.

--IANS

py/vt