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Two crew members presumed dead, three missing after fishing boat capsizes off Jeju Island

Published: 13 Feb. 2025, 13:12 Updated: 13 Feb. 2025, 18:21

KIM MIN-YOUNG
[email protected]

The Coast Guard rescue ship, left, approaches the capsized fishing boat on Wednesday evening to search for the missing crew. [COAST GUARD]

Five crew members were rescued, two were presumed dead and three were missing Thursday after a 32-ton fishing boat capsized off the coast of Jeju Island on Wednesday.

A 32-ton fishing vessel carrying 10 crew members capsized around 8:00 p.m., approximately 12 kilometers (7.46 miles) off the coast of Pyoseon-myeon in Seogwipo, Jeju.

The Coast Guard said 14 of its patrol vessels, two Navy ships, two fishing vessels from related agencies, six civilian fishing boats and five aircraft were mobilized as of Wednesday midnight to search for the missing crew.

As of 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, the Coast Guard said five of the 10 crew members had been rescued. A body, presumed to be one of the missing members, was found at 9:57 a.m. Another body was found at 12:20 p.m.

The search for the remaining three is ongoing. The rescued five include the boat's captain.

The accident site was under a high seas warning since Wednesday afternoon, with northwesterly winds blowing at speeds of 24 to 28 meters per second and waves reaching 3 to 3.5 meters, making the search difficult.

During the rescue operation, one Coast Guard member had to be urgently transported after experiencing a sudden drop in oxygen saturation levels.

According to the National Police Agency and the boat’s owner, the vessel departed from Seogwipo Port at 9:56 a.m. on Monday to fish for cutlassfish.

Cutlassfish fishing typically requires traveling to the East China Sea near Taiwan, approximately 800 kilometers from Seogwipo, which usually takes three to four days.

The Coast Guard, right, looks for survivors near a capsized fishing vessel off the coast of Pyoseon-myeon in Seogwipo, Jeju, on Feb. 13. [YONHAP]

However, at around 2 p.m. on Wednesday, the Coast Guard issued a safety advisory, urging vessels under 30 tons to seek shelter due to worsening weather conditions. The fishing boat decided to return to the Seogwipo waters but appears to have been unable to escape the rapidly deteriorating weather.

The fishing boat issued a distress signal at 7:56 p.m. on Wednesday.

Dispatched divers entered the capsized vessel to check for any signs of survivors and searched the interior of the overturned boat underwater, but no missing crew members were found. The vessel was overturned at the time, with only the bottom of the hull visible above the water's surface.

Acting President Choi Sang-mok ordered the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Korea Coast Guard to "mobilize all available equipment and personnel to prioritize the rescue of lives" after receiving a report on the capsizing.

"Make every effort to accurately confirm the number of crew members and identify the missing persons,” said Choi, adding that the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, the Ministry of National Defense, and the Governor of Jeju Island should fully cooperate with the maritime rescue efforts.

“Also, ensure the safety of the rescue team in consideration of the local maritime weather conditions."

Update, Feb. 13: Added details of more bodies presumed to be of the missing crew found

BY KIM MIN-YOUNG [[email protected]]