The Korea Herald

지나쌤

Fishing boat collision leaves 3 dead, 3 missing

By Yonhap

Published : April 12, 2018 - 08:46

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SHINAN, South Jeolla Province -- Three sailors have been killed and three others are missing after a local fishing boat collided with a foreign reefer vessel before overturning off the southwestern coast on Thursday, authorities said.

The crash happened at 00:37 a.m., when the 15-ton 2007 Yeongheung carrying six crewmen hit a 498-ton Tanzanian refrigerated cargo ship and capsized in waters 9.6 kilometers northwest of Shinan, South Jeolla Province, about 280 kilometers from Seoul, according to the Coast Guard.

One sailor was found dead less than an hour into the accident. Rescue divers found two more sailors inside the sunken ship, bringing the death toll to three.


(Yonhap) (Yonhap)

Details on the crewmen's identities were not immediately known.

The Coast Guard immediately dispatched a salvage ship and sent signals to other vessels near the site of the accident to help the rescue efforts. 

A search under and off the sea is under way for the five missing sailors, the Coast Guard said, including a special rescue team, 17 patrol ships and four aircrafts. It is also talking to the sailors aboard the Tanzanian ship to find out the exact cause of the accident, it added. (Yonhap)