Fishing vessel sinks off Yeosu Coast, 4 dead and 6 missing

A 139-ton fishing vessel operating off the coast of Yeosu sank in bad weather on Sunday, killing four crew members and leaving six others missing.

According to the Yeosu Coast Guard in South Jeolla Province, the 139-ton Busan-flagged vessel 22 Seokyung disappeared from radar at 1:41 a.m. on Sunday, 17 kilometers east of Habaek Island in Samsan-myeon, Yeosu. The fishing vessel had departed Gamcheon Port in Busan at 12:55 p.m. the previous day and was sailing off the coast of Heuksan Island in Sinan County. At the time of the incident, there were 14 people on board, including eight Korean and six foreign crew members.

Four sailors, including the captain, Kim (66), were killed, and six others, including Jang (66) and two foreigners, remain missing as of Sunday, following a rescue and search operation by the Coast Guard. The four foreign sailors who clung to life rafts in the icy waters during the night are being treated after being rescued by the Coast Guard. During the search, a 5-ton rescue boat from the Yeosu Coast Guard 516 capsized due to high waves, but the officers on board were unharmed. “The body of the ship capsized due to strong winds and waves,” two of the surviving foreign sailors told the Coast Guard. “The ship shook violently after I felt it stop. I jumped into the sea before it tilted to the left and capsized.”


Hyeong-Ju Lee peneye09@donga.com