Korean captain and Indonesian crew go missing... Jeju Chagwi Island offshore fishing boat capsize accident

Korean captain and Indonesian crew could not be found... Coast Guard search effort

(Jeju = Yonhap News) Reporter Byeon Ji-cheol = A fishing boat carrying 11 people capsized off Chagwi Island, Jeju Island, and 9 people were rescued, and 2 people, including the captain, went missing.

According to the Jeju Coast Guard on the 5th, at 3:04 a.m. on this day, a report was received that the 29-ton offshore gillnet fishing boat A, registered in Sacheon, Gyeongsangnam-do, capsized in the sea about 65km northwest of Chagwi Island, Hangyeong-myeon, Jeju-si.

Fishing boats near the accident area rescued nine foreign crew members, including eight Indonesians and one Vietnamese.

The rescued crew members were complaining of hypothermia, but it was confirmed that there were no major health problems.

Korean captain B (58) and one Indonesian crew member have not yet been found.

Ship A departed from Samcheonpo Port in Sacheon-si, Gyeongsangnam-do at around 8:50 am on the 2nd.

Ship A reported 8 crew members when reporting departure, but the Coast Guard understands that there were actually 11 people on board.

The Coast Guard purchased a helicopter and a patrol vessel and dispatched them to the sea area to conduct a rescue and search.

The Coast Guard helicopter arrived at the accident site at 4:28 a.m., and an air rescue team descended to check on the missing people, but there was no response signal.

Subsequently, a national fishery guidance vessel arrived at the scene and is searching the nearby sea.

The Coast Guard is currently searching for missing people by mobilizing 17 ships and ships, including 11 Coast Guard vessels, 3 government ships, and 3 private fishing boats, and 4 aircraft, including 3 Coast Guard aircraft and 1 Navy aircraft.

No missing persons have been found so far in underwater and sea searches.

The fishing boat carrying nine rescued crew members entered Hallim Port in Jeju City at 11:43 a.m. that day.

The Coast Guard plans to investigate the exact circumstances and cause of the accident based on the statements of the rescued crew members.

An on-site situation room to support the search and rescue of missing persons was set up at the office of the Hallim Fishing Boat Owners Association in Hallim-eup, Jeju-si, and Jeju Governor Wi Sang-gon visited the site on this day to inspect the search situation and ordered efforts to search for missing persons and support the families of rescued sailors and missing persons.

In the area of ​​the accident, a northwest wind was blowing at 12 to 14 meters per second, and the wave height was over 2 meters.