9 missing after fishing boat capsizes in South Korea
- A coastguard from the southwestern port city of Mokpo said 3 crew members were rescued following the accident near Daebichi Island late on Saturday
- More than 30 coastguard vessels and at least 8 coastguard and military aircraft were searching the area for the rest of the crew on Sunday afternoon
South Korean coastguard vessels and aircraft on Sunday were searching for nine fishermen who disappeared after their boat capsized off the country’s southwestern coast.
The coastguard from the southwestern port city of Mokpo said that three crew members were rescued by a nearby commercial vessel following the accident late Saturday near Daebichi Island in the sea county of Sinan.
Survivors said the boat’s engine room had quickly filled with water before the 24-ton vessel tipped over, according to the coastguard.
Officials were planning to salvage the boat, but it wasn’t known whether the nine missing crew members would be inside. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety said seven of the missing were South Korean nationals and the two others were foreigners, but it didn’t immediately confirm their nationalities.
More than 30 coastguard vessels and at least eight coastguard and military aircraft were searching the area on Sunday afternoon.