Fishing vessel sinks off South Korean coast, leaving 9 dead or missing

A 139-ton fishing vessel sank off the coast near South Korea's Yeosu on Sunday, leaving four dead and five missing, according to Yonhap news agency.

It was reported that the fishing trawler from the country's southeastern port city of Busan disappeared from radar in waters off Yeosu, some 380 km south of the capital Seoul, at about 1:41 a.m. local time (1641 GMT Saturday).

Of the 14 crew members on board, including eight South Koreans, three Vietnamese and three Indonesians, only four have survived so far.

Among the rest of the ten people, four were confirmed dead including the captain, one was found unconscious and the remaining five are presumed missing.

All resources and facilities available, including patrol ships, navy vessels, aircraft and civilian and agency ships, have been deployed to continue to carry out rescue efforts at night, despite bad weather conditions.

This is the second fishing boat accident in South Korea within less than 10 days, raising concerns about the country's maritime safety management.

Statistics show that in 2024 alone, the number of deaths and missing persons from such accidents reached 119, a 52 percent increase compared to the previous year. This has also marked the highest record in the past decade.

xinhua