3 dead, 1 missing in fishing vessel accident off Jeju Island

SEOUL, Nov. 25 (Yonhap) -- A fishing vessel with 14 fishermen on board capsized in waters off South Korea's southernmost island of Mara on Monday, leaving three dead and one missing, maritime police said.

According to the Seogwipo Coast Guard, the 24-ton Changjin reported at 6:05 a.m. that it was sinking in the sea about 87 kilometers southwest of Mara Island, a small island about 8 km off the southern coast of Jeju Island.

A coast guard-military joint rescue team rescued 13 of the ship's 14 sailors at the scene but three of them, including the ship's 61-year-old skipper, surnamed Hwang, were pronounced dead at a hospital in Jeju.

The two other dead fishermen were identified only as 69-year-old Kang and 60-year-old Kim.

The 10 surviving sailors, including six Indonesian nationals, are being treated for hypothermia and other ailments at hospitals on Jeju Island.

The coast guard said it was still searching for the sole missing fisherman, identified only as 66-year-old Choi, in waters around the accident site.

Coast guard officials said four of the 13 rescued sailors were found inside a life raft, with the nine others plucked from the sea. They said weather conditions were inclement during the rescue operation, with winds blowing at a speed of 19 meters per second and waves rising four meters high.

Witnesses told the coast guard that the Changjin went belly up at around 7:19 a.m.

The Changjin left the southeastern port of Tongyeong on Nov. 1 to catch sea eels and was scheduled to return to the home port Tuesday.

ycm@yna.co.kr
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