10 Dead, Several Missing After A Fishing Boat Capsizes Off The South Coast Near Chuja Island
Ten people died, while several passengers went missing after a fishing boat capsized off the coast near Jeju Island on Saturday. The 9.77-ton boat, Dolphin, lost contact around half an hour after departing from Chuja bounding to Haenam, South Jeolla Province. It was found early morning the following day, along with three survivors who were flown to a hospital in Jeju after being rescued by the coast guards.
"Of the 22 people on the list of people on board, 13 were confirmed to have been aboard, four were confirmed not to have boarded, while one of the survivors was not on the list," coast guard chief Lee Pyung Hyun said during a press conference.
Although the number of passengers hadn't been confirmed, search and rescue operation continued. Over 50 boats - including eight naval vessels, a Lynx helicopter and a P-3C maritime patrol aircraft were deployed in the site of the incident.
"We are carrying out search operations in a large circle around Seomsaengi Island, where the survivors were found," a coastguard said according to a report posted Sunday on Yohnap News. "Weather conditions are good, so the search is gaining momentum."
Cheong Wa Dae stated, Public Safety and Security Minister Park In Yong was ordered "do everything possible for the search and rescue of the missing" by South Korea President Park Geun Hye.
Aside from that, Park wanted the family and general public to be granted with concrete information about the incident.
The fishing boat allegedly capsized "in an instant", brought about by rolling waves, according to one of its passengers.
"I was sleeping when the boat's engine went off and the captain told us to get out and water started to fill the boat," the survivor said. "I was the last to come outside and as soon as I did, the boat capsized."
The 38-year-old survivor also said that they clung unto the top of the capsized boat and stayed there for ten hours before the rescue team arrived.
Meanwhile, a control center at the headquarters in Sejong was mounted by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries to oversee the ongoing search and rescue operations.