Six crew members still missing after tugboat sinks off Busan
Worsening weather conditions have limited the Korean Coast Guard's operation to six large vessels of at least 1,000 tons and suspended underwater and aerial searches.
A Korean Navy vessel searches for six missing crew members off Busan on Sept. 4, three days after a tugboat capsized and sank. Underwater operations have been suspended due to a high-wave advisory, with authorities focusing on surface searches.NEWS1
BUSAN — The search for six missing crew members of a tugboat that capsized off Busan last week continued through the night, but authorities found no trace of them.
The Coast Guard searched a 31-kilometer-wide (19.3-mile-wide) by 63-kilometer-long area at sea overnight, starting from Sunday evening. Worsening weather conditions, however, limited the operation to six large vessels of at least 1,000 tons and suspended underwater and aerial searches, according to the Korea Coast Guard Station Busan on Monday.
The tugboat TNS Catcher capsized at around 1:29 p.m. last Wednesday while towing a 66,332-ton container ship about 9 kilometers southeast of Oryuk Islets in Busan. It sank completely a few hours later at around 3:27 p.m.
Of the eight total crew members believed to have been on board, five Koreans and one Indonesian remain missing. One crew member died on Wednesday, and another was rescued that same day.
Authorities broadened their operation to include the coast and nearshore waters. Personnel from 48 Coast Guard stations in Busan and Ulsan also joined marine rescue units in the search, and the military deployed 10 thermal observation devices (TODs).
On Monday morning, the Coast Guard kept six vessels for the search and added eight aircraft. Underwater operations remained suspended because a high-wave advisory was in effect.
Authorities also expanded their coastal and nearshore search to personnel from 89 Coast Guard stations in Busan and Ulsan and 33 military units.
The Korea Coast Guard conducts a search and rescue operation for missing crew members who were aboard a tugboat that capsized in waters off Busan on Sept. 2.KOREA COAST GUARD STATION BUSAN
The advisory is expected to be lifted on Tuesday, after which Coast Guard rescue boats plan to search coastal areas beyond the current search zone. Authorities also plan to resume underwater operations.
The maximum estimated survival time for a person missing at sea is more than 40 hours when the water temperature is above 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit). The water temperature at the site was 25.3 degrees. More than 116 hours had passed since the accident as of 10 a.m. on Monday.
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.
