- विज्ञापन -
Yeosu: A fishing trawler with 14 crew members sank early Sunday in the waters off South Korea’s southern coast, resulting in four fatalities and six individuals still unaccounted for. Rescue operations are currently in progress.
The 139-ton vessel, which had eight South Korean crew members along with three Vietnamese and three Indonesians, was reported missing at 1:41 a.m., approximately 17 kilometers east of Habaek Island, near Yeosu, situated 316 km south of Seoul.
So far, eight crew members have been rescued, but tragically, four South Koreans, including the 66-year-old captain, have lost their lives, according to reports from Yonhap news agency.
Among those rescued, five individuals—including the captain, two Vietnamese, and two Indonesian crew members—were located on a life raft, while others were found floating in the sea.
The two rescued Indonesians have been taken to the Coast Guard office in Yeosu for questioning about the incident, while the Vietnamese crew members are receiving medical attention at a nearby hospital due to hypothermia.
The Coast Guard indicated that the vessel likely capsized after tilting sharply to one side, as reported by the rescued Vietnamese crew. They noted that aside from three crew members still aboard the ship, the remaining 11 jumped into the water.
Despite challenging weather conditions, the Coast Guard finds it unusual for a vessel over 100 tons to capsize in 2.5-meter waves and is investigating the incident’s cause. The trawler was part of a fleet of four but reportedly failed to send a distress signal, leading authorities to believe the sinking was unexpected.
The fishing trawler had set sail from Gamcheon port in Busan, about 320 km southeast of Seoul, on Saturday to fish in waters near Heuksan Island in South Jeolla Province.
To aid in the search for the missing crew members, a total of 24 patrol ships, four Navy vessels, and 13 aircraft, along with other civilian and agency boats, have been deployed.
In a separate incident during the search efforts, a Coast Guard high-speed boat capsized due to rough waves, but all six crew members aboard were successfully rescued by another Coast Guard vessel.
