Two missing, one in critical condition after vessel collision

BUSAN — Two Indonesian crew members are missing and one person is in critical condition after a tanker and a fishing trawler collided and sank off the coast of Busan on Thursday morning.

The crash occurred at around 10:10 a.m., some 23 nautical miles (26.5 miles) southeast of Daebyeon Port in Gijang County, when a 992-ton liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tanker carrying 12 crew members struck a 79-ton trawler with eight people on board for reasons that have not yet been determined, per the Korea Coast Guard Station Ulsan.  

The trawler sank immediately on impact, throwing all eight crew members — two Koreans and six Indonesians — into the water. The LPG tanker's crew reported the collision to the coast guard and pulled six people — two Koreans and four Indonesians — from the sea. One of the rescued Korean crew members was unconscious and has reportedly been transported to a hospital.

"Immediately after the collision, the LPG tanker crew contacted the coast guard and went to rescue those in the water, and fortunately managed to save six people," a Korea Coast Guard official, in charge of the southern region, said. "When the coast guard arrived at the scene, one Korean crew member was unconscious." 

The two missing crew members, both Indonesian nationals, remained unaccounted for as of Thursday afternoon. The Coast Guard office said it has deployed five patrol vessels, four navy and government vessels, and one aircraft to search the waters around the accident site.

Rescue efforts face significant challenges, however. "The water depth at the site where the trawler sank is 150 meters (492 feet), and visibility is poor, making it difficult even to locate the vessel," a coast guard official said. "We are struggling with the search because we cannot confirm whether the missing crew members are still inside the hull or drifting in open water."

President Lee Jae Myung has ordered authorities to mobilize all available resources to rescue survivors after news of the sinking broke.

Busan Mayor-elect Jeon Jae-soo also posted on social media, calling for an all-out rescue effort. "Please concentrate all available equipment and personnel to the very end so that every last person can be rescued safely," Jeon said. "There cannot be a single moment's gap in protecting the lives and safety of our citizens."

BY LEE EUN-JI [[email protected]]