Complete Sinking of Hull, 15 Rescued
Capsizing Presumed While Loading Catches
A fishing vessel carrying 27 people sank off the coast of Jeju, resulting in 12 people missing, and search operations are underway.
At around 4:33 a.m. on the 8th, the Coast Guard received a report that the 129-ton trawl fishing vessel Geumseongho, registered in Busan, was sinking about 24 km northwest of Biyangdo, Jeju.
According to the Coast Guard, the crew on board Geumseongho numbered 27 according to the port entry and exit management system (16 Koreans, 11 foreigners). Currently, 15 people have been rescued by nearby vessels and brought to Jeju Hallim Port. Among them, 2 were in cardiac arrest and were transported to the hospital but were pronounced dead. Thirteen were rescued conscious. The remaining 12 people, including 10 Koreans and 2 foreigners, are missing.
The Geumseongho hull has completely sunk. According to the Coast Guard’s confirmation with the rescued crew, it is estimated that Geumseongho capsized and sank suddenly while transferring the catch to a transport vessel. At the time, two people, including the cook, were inside the vessel, and most of the crew were on deck transferring the catch, so they were reportedly not wearing life jackets.
The Coast Guard is conducting search operations at the site to find the missing persons. Currently, 18 Coast Guard vessels and 5 aircraft, special forces and rescue teams, 3 Navy vessels, 4 military, police, and fire department aircraft, 2 fisheries patrol vessels, and 13 civilian fishing vessels have been mobilized for the search.
At the accident site, a northeast wind is blowing at 4 to 6 meters per second, and waves are about 1 meter high. The Jeju Maritime Police Agency plans to hold a press briefing regarding the Geumseongho sinking accident at 2 p.m. today.
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