Jeju Island, Republic of Korea—A tragic accident unfolded early Friday morning as a 129-ton fishing boat sank off the coast of South Korea’s southern resort island of Jeju, leaving two dead and 12 missing, according to local officials.
The vessel began taking on water around 4:30 a.m. local time (1930 GMT on Thursday) when a nearby boat raised the alarm upon witnessing the ship going under, said Chung Moo-won, a Jeju coast guard official. Rescue operations were immediately launched in response to the distress call.
Of the 27 crew members aboard, 15 were rescued. Unfortunately, two of the rescued South Korean nationals later died after being hospitalized. The missing include 12 people, among them two from Indonesia, as confirmed by Chung.
An extensive search and rescue effort is underway, involving 43 vessels—including three navy ships—and 13 aircraft. Deep-sea divers have also been dispatched to assist in the operation. “We offer our condolences to the bereaved families and will make utmost efforts to find the missing by mobilizing all rescue equipment and resources,” Chung said during a televised briefing.
One of the survivors recounted to Yonhap News Agency that the boat capsized while they were hauling up fishing nets to transfer the catch to another vessel. Authorities are planning to interview the survivors to determine the exact cause of the accident.
President Yoon Suk-yeol ordered all available resources to be deployed for the search and rescue mission, emphasizing the importance of ensuring the safety of the rescue workers, according to a statement from his office. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo also called on the Defense Ministry to provide military flares and aircraft to support night operations.
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2 dead and 12 missing after fishing boat sinks off South Korean island
cgtn.com
