Vietnamese boat rescues missing tourists

Four tourists, who disappeared while sailing near Malaysia's Borneo island, were rescued by a Vietnamese fishing boat, an official told EFE news on Thursday.

The official from the Maritime Authority of Malaysia, said the four tourists -- Spanish couple David Hernandez and his girlfriend Marta Miguel, Chinese national Tommy Lam and a Malaysian woman, Armella Ali Hassan -- disappeared on May 2 while the group was travelling in a boat from Balambangan Island towards Kudat district in Borneo; a journey they should have completed in two hours.

Malaysian authorities believe engine failure caused the boat to capsize and be swept away by the currents, and ruled out the possibility that the four might have been captured by pirates in the waters close to the Philippines.

The tourists are being transported back to Kota Kinabalu in Borneo's eastern Sabah state where they are expected to arrive on Thursday night or Friday morning.

--IANS

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