2 dead, 12 missing after fishing boat sinks off Jeju Island

Two people died and 12 others remained missing after a fishing boat sank off the southern island of Jeju on Friday, with a search under way, the Coast Guard said.

The 129-ton Geumseong was carrying 27 crew members — 16 South Koreans and 11 Indonesians — when the Coast Guard received a distress call at 4:31 a.m. that the boat was sinking 24 kilometers off Jeju’s Biyang Island.

Of the 27, 15 were rescued by a nearby vessel, including two who were found in a state of cardiac arrest, and taken to nearby hospitals. The two, both South Koreans, were later pronounced dead.

The 12 missing are 10 South Koreans and two Indonesians.

The Coast Guard said an underwater search for the missing began at around 1 p.m. involving 27 divers from multiple special rescue teams.

The “golden time” for survival is believed to be around 24 hours, with the water temperature measuring 22 C at the site of the accident.

Winds are blowing at a speed of 6 to 8 meters per second, waves are up to 2 meters high and the water is around 80 to 90 meters deep, the Coast Guard said.

A total of 43 vessels, including 23 Coast Guard boats, three naval vessels and 13 private fishing boats have been mobilized in the search effort, along with 13 aircraft.

The rescued crew members said they were transferring their catch to another vessel when the boat suddenly capsized and began to sink, according to the Coast Guard.

The boat is now completely underwater and was seen through underwater search equipment about 370 meters away from the site of the sinking, with fishing nets attached. The boat will later be salvaged.

“It’s an unusual accident,” a Coast Guard official said during a press briefing. “We’re focusing our investigation on what caused the boat to lose its restoring force.”

President Yoon Suk Yeol was briefed on the sinking and instructed relevant agencies, including the Coast Guard and the defense and oceans ministries, to mobilize all available resources and personnel to rescue the missing, according to presidential spokesperson Jeong Hye-jeon.

He also called for ensuring the safety of the rescue workers.

The Geumseong, which catches mackerel and sardines, left Seogwipo harbor on Jeju’s south coast shortly before noon Thursday. At the time of the accident, two people, including a cook, were inside the boat, while most of the other crew members were working on the deck, presumably without wearing life vests, the Coast Guard said.