6 missing, 1 dead after tugboat capsizes off Busan

One crew member died and six remained missing Wednesday after a tugboat capsized off Busan, with strong waves and currents hampering rescue operations, according to the Busan Coast Guard.

The TNS Catcher, a 286-ton tugboat, capsized at 1:29 p.m. about 9 kilometers southeast of Oryukdo with eight crew members aboard.

It had departed from a government vessel pier at Busan Port at 10:15 a.m. to tow a merchant vessel involved in an earlier accident, the Coast Guard said.

The crew comprised six South Korean nationals and two Indonesian nationals. An Indonesian crew member, 53, was rescued by the nearby merchant vessel at 1:49 p.m., 20 minutes after the accident. He was not in life-threatening condition.

A second crew member, a 57-year-old Korean, was found unconscious inside the capsized tugboat and transported to a hospital aboard a Coast Guard rescue vessel but later died.

Rescuers continued searching for the remaining six crew members.

The Coast Guard deployed 13 patrol and rescue vessels, aircraft and the Korea Coast Guard Special Rescue Unit. It also requested assistance from the Navy, other government vessels and private boats.

The Coast Guard said waves of 1 to 1.5 meters and strong currents were complicating the operation. Northwesterly winds were blowing at 4 to 6 meters per second.

The tugboat sank completely at 3:27 p.m. in waters about 87 meters deep.

President Lee Jae Myung ordered authorities to “mobilize all available resources” for rescue and recovery efforts, chief presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said.

Busan’s city government also convened an emergency meeting to assess the situation and discuss resources needed for the search.

The city activated its disaster response headquarters, while Nam-gu and Haeundae-gu set up on-site support centers. Dong-gu, where the tugboat operator is based, also established a district-level response headquarters.

Dedicated teams will provide psychological counseling and emotional support to the crew members’ families, and emergency interpretation services will be available for foreign nationals affected by the accident.