Bodies of five crew from capsized boat found Monday

A 200-ton crane barge that arrived Monday salvages Cheongbo, a fishing boat that capsized 16.6 kilometers (10.3 miles) off the coast of South Jeolla. [YONHAP]

The bodies of five crew members of the Cheongbo, the fishing boat that capsized late Saturday evening, have been found as of 6 p.m. Monday.

Three of the boat's 12 crew members have been rescued so far, while four including the captain remain missing.

According to the Coast Guard, the first missing crew member was found dead in a cabin at 3:22 a.m. Monday during a search.

The Coast Guard confirmed the identity of the body as that of the ship's 65 year-old chief engineer.

According to survivor statements, he was in the engine room with another crew member to bail out water shortly before the ship capsized.

The bodies of two other crew members were found inside another cabin at the stern of the ship at around noon.

A fourth body, that of a 54-year-old crew member, was discovered at 4:17 p.m., and a fifth body was found at 5:46 p.m.

The Cheongbo began capsizing at 11:19 p.m. on Saturday in waters off the southwestern coast.

Of the twelve crew members, nine were Korean, two were Vietnamese and one was Indonesian.

Two Koreans and an Indonesian were rescued on the first day by a cargo ship that was passing nearby.

Rescue personnel complain that the ship's fishing equipment and partitions are impeding the search of the capsized vessel, with fishing gear blocking potential entry points.

Officials say equipment may have impeded the crew's attempt to abandon ship when the vessel began capsizing.

The Coast Guard started working on the salvaging of the ship on Monday by connecting it to a 200-ton crane barge. The ship will be towed to the nearby island where the waters are calmer.

No reason has been given for why the ship — a 24-ton Incheon-class vessel — turned over in calm seas approximately 16.6 kilometers (9.9 miles) west of Daebichi-do, an island in Sinan County, South Jeolla.

The capsizing is especially perplexing given that the vessel was only one year old.

Mokpo Coast Guard personnel investigating the case said none of survivors witnessed holes in the hull that would have let water into the ship.

However, prior to the capsizing, the chief engineer and a Vietnamese crew were bailing out water filling the engine room, with the captain joining in later.

“The only repair record we have found was a paint job on the bottom of the boat,” said Kim Hae-chul, head of the Mokpo Coast Guard.

The investigation team is looking into the possibility that the boat was overloaded.

Some crew members did not wear life preservers.

After salvaging the ship, the Coast Guard plans to conduct a joint investigation into the incident with the Ship Safety Technology Authority and National Forensic Service.

BY SOHN DONG-JOO, LEE HO-JEONG [lee.hojeong@joongang.co.kr]