A trawler carrying a crew of 14 sank off the southeastern coast near Ulsan early Monday, leaving one dead and 10 missing.

According to the Coast Guard on Monday, the 139-ton “739 Geona” went underwater around 2:02 a.m. about 24 kilometers east of Cape Ganjeol. The vessel left Busan Port to go squid fishing at 3:30 p.m. Sunday.

Three of the crew were rescued, but 53-year-old captain Kwon Jeong-seok was found dead and another 10 fishermen went missing. The Navy, Coast Guard and Air Force are searching, but 2.5 meter-waves are hindering their search, reports said.

No exact cause for the sinking has yet been verified.

Hwang Su-seok, the boat’s chief engineer, told reporters that the engine room suddenly flooded and when he stepped out, the boat was half-slanted.

“Other sailors seemed to have escaped from the vessel in advance because they were fishing on board and saw the accident taking place. However, darkness made it hard for anyone to identify anything,” he said.

Investigators believe that engine problems associated with the unusually high waves may have caused the incident.

By Bae Ji-sook
(baejisook@heraldcorp.com)