Fishing boat sinks in South Korea, Vietnamese crew missing

The South Korean Coast Guard received a report early this morning that a 139-ton fishing boat was missing off the southeastern port city of Yeosu. Hours later, South Korean officials announced that they had found the sunken vessel at a depth of about 80 meters.

Fishing boat crew wait to be rescued in the early morning of February 9. Photo: Korean Coast Guard

The crew consisted of eight South Koreans, three Vietnamese and three Indonesians. Rescuers found eight people in lifeboats or drifting at sea, of whom four were found dead, all South Koreans. The four survivors included two Vietnamese and two Indonesians, none of whom were in danger of death.

One crew member was found inside the ship, but the South Korean Coast Guard did not reveal his identity or whether he was still alive. As of the evening of February 9, five crew members were still missing, including one Vietnamese.

The Vietnamese crew told the South Korean coast guard that the fishing boat listed to port before it capsized. Apart from the three people on board, the remaining 11 crew members jumped into the sea to escape.

A crew member was rescued and taken to a rescue ship on February 9. Photo: Korean Coast Guard

Weather conditions at the time of the incident were relatively bad, but the Korean Coast Guard said the capsize of a 139-ton fishing vessel was unusual and is investigating the cause of the accident.

The ship was in a group of four other fishing boats, but did not send out a distress signal. The ship departed from Gamcheon Port in Busan on February 8 to fish in waters near Heuksan Island, southwest of South Jeolla Province.

A total of 24 patrol boats, four naval vessels, 13 aircraft and civilian vessels have been deployed to search for the missing crew members. During the morning search, a South Korean Coast Guard speedboat capsized due to high waves, and all six people on board were rescued safely.

Source: https://baodaknong.vn/chim-tau-ca-o-han-quoc-thuyen-vien-nguoi-viet-mat-tich-242327.html