1 of 2 missing from capsized fishing boat found unresponsive
Rescuers recovered a person believed to be the captain of the capsized Seongjin No. 7, while the search continues for one missing Indonesian crew member.
A 29-ton fishing boat lies capsized about 65 kilometers (40 miles) northwest of Chagwi Island, Jeju, on Monday.
KOREA COAST GUARD STATION JEJU
A person believed to be the captain of a fishing boat that capsized off Jeju Island early Monday was found without a pulse or signs of breathing on Tuesday. Another crew member remains missing.
Rescue authorities deployed two personnel at 9 a.m. Tuesday to search inside the capsized 29-ton longline fishing boat Seongjin No. 7 for the two missing people, according to Korea Coast Guard Station Jeju.
The boat is registered in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang. It reportedly had 11 people on board.
The person, believed to be the 58-year-old Korean captain, was reportedly found near the ceiling at the entrance to a passage leading into a cabin on the vessel’s starboard side at around 9:06 a.m. The person will be brought aboard a Coast Guard vessel before being transported by helicopter.
Authorities deployed seven vessels, including six Coast Guard ships and one fisheries patrol vessel, as well as four aircraft — two from the Coast Guard and one each from the Navy and police. The search for the remaining missing crew member is still underway.
The Seongjin No. 7 capsized at around 3:04 a.m. Monday about 65 kilometers (40 miles) northwest of Chagwi Island off Hangyeong-myeon in Jeju City.
The captain and a 27-year-old Indonesian crew member went missing. Nine other foreign crew members, eight Indonesians and one Vietnamese, were rescued by fishing boats that were operating nearby at the time of the accident.
The Seongjin No. 7 left Samcheonpo Port in Sacheon at around 8:50 a.m. Friday. The vessel reported eight people aboard when it filed its departure notice, but the Coast Guard believes 11 people were on board.
BY CHO MUN GYU [[email protected]]
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
