A fishing boat carrying 11 crew members capsized in waters off Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, leaving two people missing.
The Jeju Regional Coast Guard said it received a report at about 3:04 a.m. on the 5th that a 29-ton longline fishing vessel registered in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province, had capsized about 65 kilometers northwest of Chagwido Island in Hangyeong-myeon, Jeju City.
The vessel had reported eight crew members when it departed, but 11 were actually aboard, according to the Coast Guard. Fishing boats near the site rescued nine foreign crew members, including eight Indonesians and one Vietnamese. The South Korean captain and one Indonesian crew member remain missing.
The Coast Guard has deployed nine patrol ships, two helicopters and one aircraft to search for the missing. One navy vessel, one ship from a related agency and three private fishing boats have also joined the operation.
Northwesterly winds of 12 to 14 meters per second were blowing at the site, with waves reaching 2 meters.
Prime Minister Han Seong-sook was briefed on the accident and instructed officials to mobilize all available equipment and personnel to rescue those aboard.
