A 29-ton fishing vessel capsized off the South Korean island of Jeju. Nine people were rescued, and two crew members are missing, Yonhap news agency reported, citing the Jeju coast guard.
The incident was reported at 03:04 local time on October 5. The ship capsized about 65 kilometers northwest of Chaguido Island. There were 11 people on board.
Nearby fishing boats rescued nine foreign crew members - eight Indonesians and one Vietnamese. They were in stable condition but complained of hypothermia.
The captain, a citizen of the Republic of Korea, and one Indonesian crew member are missing. The Coast Guard has sent helicopters and patrol boats, and a navy ship and civilian fishing boats have joined the search.
The search is complicated by wind and waves
Nine patrol boats, two helicopters and a coast guard plane are involved in the operation. A navy ship, a vessel of another institution and three civilian fishing boats have also been sent to the scene.
A northwesterly wind of 12-14 meters per second is blowing in the area, and the height of the waves is about 2 meters. The cause of the capsizing has not yet been determined.
A separate problem for the rescue operation is the discrepancy in the data on the number of people on board. When the signal to sail was given, eight people were listed, but after the incident it was found that there were 11 people on the ship.
After being informed of the accident, Prime Minister Han Seon-suk ordered all available forces and equipment to be mobilized to rescue people. “All available forces and equipment should be mobilized and saving lives should be given priority”, she ordered, according to the Prime Minister's Office. She also insisted on accurately determining the number of people on board, as well as on the safety of the rescue teams.
Sources: Yonhap, Hankyoreh