9 People Aboard Cargo Ship Capsized... 6 Missing
On the morning of the 21st, the Coast Guard began searching for survivors from a capsized civilian fishing boat approximately 168 km northeast of Dokdo in international waters. On the second day of the search, the Coast Guard rescued two Chinese crew members in the morning. One person was found dead inside the hull. / Photo by Yonhap News
[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] After a fishing boat capsized in international waters northeast of Dokdo and the captain's body was found in the wheelhouse, the captain's wife, Ms. Lee, sobbed, saying, "My heart hurts so much that I can't speak."
On the 21st, Ms. Lee met with reporters at the Uljin regional accident response headquarters set up at the Uljin Hupo Fisheries Cooperative and said, "Usually, the captain is in the wheelhouse, so the body found there is presumed to be my husband, and we are in the process of confirming it," adding, "He had surgery on his back in the past, and they said there is a surgical scar."
She continued, "My husband was actually 66 years old, but he had been working on boats since he was 25," and explained, "He was taciturn but had a strong sense of responsibility for his own boat and profession, and he was kind to people."
She added, "He was scheduled to return on the 23rd, but it seems the accident happened while he was moving," and said, "Since the others have not been found yet, I can't even speak about it."
Meanwhile, around 11 p.m. on the 19th, the 72-ton Hupo-registered fishing boat 'Je 11 Iljin-ho,' carrying nine people, capsized 168 km northeast of Dokdo. The accident was reported to the East Sea Coast Guard by a Japan Coast Guard vessel around 2:24 p.m. the following day (the 20th).
It was confirmed that the fishing boat had nine crew members on board: three Korean crew, four Chinese nationals, and two Indonesian nationals. Among them, the status of three has been confirmed, but six remain missing as of now.
On the morning of the 21st, the Coast Guard found one body presumed to be Korean in the wheelhouse of the accident vessel, and during a briefing that afternoon, after photo comparison, they confirmed that the deceased was the captain.
The Coast Guard initially planned to transport the body to Uljin, where the family had gathered, but after confirming the identity as the captain, they are transporting it to Pohang, the captain's residence, at the family's request.
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