[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Ju Cheol-in] The body of Captain Kim Mo (67) was found during the internal search of the sinking Daeyangho near Geoje, Gyeongnam.
The Tongyeong Coast Guard announced that at 1:05 PM on the 5th, after deploying three civilian divers to search inside the Daeyangho, they discovered Kim's body in the wheelhouse.
The civilian diver who found Kim completed the recovery at around 1:45 PM. The remaining divers continued searching inside the Daeyangho but failed to find the other two missing persons and surfaced at approximately 2:33 PM.
Considering the currents and weather conditions, the divers ended the search for the day and plan to resume on the 6th.
At the time of sinking, it is presumed that Kim sent a distress signal to the coast guard via the Very High Frequency-Direct-Sequence Code (VHF-DSC) radio equipment in the wheelhouse but was unable to escape in time.
One of the surviving crew members testified that they saw Kim in the wheelhouse before jumping into the sea. Based on the survivor's testimony, the families of the missing have requested a search inside the wheelhouse and other parts of the ship's interior.
The coast guard has been conducting internal searches of the Daeyangho with civilian divers since the 3rd. The coast guard stated, "We will continue search operations and do our best to find the remaining missing persons."
The Daeyangho sank after flooding on the afternoon of the 23rd of last month at 3:45 PM, about 1.1 km southeast of Galgotdo, Nambu-myeon, Geoje City. Of the 10 crew members on board, 7 were rescued, and the captain and two others remain missing.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
