A fishing boat carrying 11 sailors capsized in the early hours of Monday near Jeju Island. Rescue authorities have since been searching for the captain and one of the sailors, who remain missing.
The Jeju Coast Guard at 3:04 a.m. received a report that a 29-ton boat had capsized in waters off nearby Chagwido Island, a small island that is part of the provincial government of Jeju Island. Nine sailors of foreign nationality have been rescued, but the rescue workers have yet to locate the Korean captain and one sailor from Indonesia.
The vessel had initially been reported to authorities as having eight people on board, despite actually carrying 11.
The Coast Guard has deployed nine patrol boats and two helicopters to look for the two who remain missing, as a state fisheries patrol vessel has been searching the area since 5 a.m. A Navy ship, three civilian vessels and one ship from a related government agency have also been mobilized in the search mission.
Prime Minister Han Seok-suk instructed officials to prioritize rescuing the missing individuals, while double-checking the total number of the people who were aboard the capsized fishing boat.
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com
