Two Crew Members Missing After Fishing Boat Capsizes Off Jeju Island
The 29-ton coastal longline fishing boat overturned approximately 65 kilometers (40 miles) northwest of Chagwi Island, part of Jeju Province, prompting an extensive search and rescue operation.
Nine crew members were rescued after the vessel capsized. Eight of those rescued were Indonesian nationals, while another was a Vietnamese national. Nearby fishing boats assisted in the initial rescue effort and helped bring the survivors to safety.
The Jeju Coast Guard said one additional Indonesian crew member and the South Korean captain of the vessel were still unaccounted for as search operations continued.
Authorities immediately expanded efforts to locate the missing crew members, deploying a helicopter, naval vessels and coast guard patrol boats to search the surrounding waters. Civilian fishing boats were also assisting the operation, increasing the number of vessels involved in the search.
Rescue teams have been searching the area around the location where the fishing boat overturned, with authorities working to identify possible signs of the missing crew and determine the circumstances that led to the vessel’s capsizing.
The incident also raised questions about the number of people aboard the fishing boat at the time of the accident. The vessel had officially reported that eight people were on board when it submitted its departure report.
Authorities later determined that 11 people had actually been aboard the vessel, meaning the number of crew members on the boat was higher than the figure initially declared.
The discrepancy is expected to be examined as authorities investigate the accident and continue efforts to locate the two missing crew members.
The nine rescued fishermen are being accounted for as the search operation remains underway. Authorities have not yet provided further details about their condition or explained what caused the vessel to overturn.
The accident occurred in waters around Jeju, a major fishing and maritime area in southern South Korea, where fishing vessels regularly operate along coastal and offshore routes.
Search teams are expected to continue combing the area using aircraft, naval and patrol vessels, with civilian fishermen also contributing to the rescue effort as authorities work to locate the missing Indonesian crew member and the South Korean captain.
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