Mother and daughter on cruise ship fall into sea off Busan Taejongdae; 30s daughter dies, 60s mother missing

The area where the sightseeing boat passengers went missing during the search operation. [Image source=Busan Coast Guard]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] It has been confirmed that the two cruise ship passengers, one who drowned and died and one missing, in the sea in front of Taejongdae, Busan, are a mother and daughter.

According to the Busan Maritime Police Station on the 29th, the woman in her 30s, A, who was found at sea about an hour after going missing on the afternoon of the 28th, had boarded the cruise ship at Busan Port Jagalchi Pier together with her mother, B (in her 60s).

The mother and daughter are residents of another area and are known to have visited Busan and taken the cruise ship.

The maritime police conducted a search operation throughout the night for the mother, B, but she is still missing.

The maritime police have secured the ship's internal closed-circuit television (CCTV) and are investigating the circumstances of how the mother and daughter fell from the ship, including whether it was an accidental fall.

The deceased A was not wearing a life jacket when found.

According to current law, cruise ships must have life jackets on board, but passengers are not obligated to wear them.

The police are conducting a second day of search operations using coastal rescue boats and patrol vessels to find the missing B.

The current missing area is experiencing winds blowing at 10 to 12 meters per second and waves 2 to 3 meters high, resulting in unfavorable weather conditions.

The maritime police stated, "Search operations are being conducted with the deployment of maritime police helicopters and drones, fire department helicopters, civilian vessels, and naval ships."

The cruise ship is a 1 hour and 30 minute coastal cruise vessel that departs from Jagalchi, passes through Songdo and Taejongdae, and returns. It can carry up to 306 passengers and started Busan Port cruises in 2018.

The first and second floors have glass walls allowing external viewing from inside the ship, and it is presumed that the mother and daughter fell from the third-floor railing.