A South Korean captain died and two Indonesian crew members remained missing after a fishing boat sank following a collision with an LPG carrier off Busan on Thursday.
The accident occurred at around 10:10 a.m. about 23 nautical miles, or 42.6 kilometers, southeast of Daebyeon Port in Gijang, Busan, when a 79-ton trawler collided with a 992-ton LPG carrier, according to the Ulsan Coast Guard.
Eight crew members of the fishing boat — two Koreans and six Indonesians — fell into the sea as the vessel sank. Six were rescued by the LPG carrier, while two Indonesian crew members in their 30s remained missing.
The rescued crew were taken back to Daebyeon Port aboard a Coast Guard patrol boat.
The Korean captain, 62, was in critical condition and was taken to a hospital shortly after arriving at the port, but was pronounced dead at around 1:30 p.m.
The five other rescued crew members were also taken to hospitals after complaining of symptoms including hypothermia.
The Coast Guard deployed patrol vessels, Navy ships, helicopters, nearby fishing boats and government vessels to search the waters near the site of the accident for the missing crew members.
The fishing boat had departed from Busan’s South Port at around 1:20 a.m.
Crew members were believed to have been on deck for fishing operations at the time. It was not immediately confirmed whether they were wearing life jackets.
The LPG carrier, which had 12 people aboard, departed from SK Gas’ No. 1 pier in Ulsan at around 7:30 a.m. and was heading to Japan.
The Coast Guard plans to question the rescued crew members and investigate officials from the LPG carrier after the vessel returns to port.
President Lee Jae Myung ordered authorities to mobilize all available resources for the response and rescue efforts.
hnpark@heraldcorp.com
