Coast Guard Deploys Patrol Vessels and Helicopters for Search Operation
At around 4:33 a.m. on the 8th, a fishing boat sank off the coast of Biyangdo, Jeju Island, and the coast guard is searching the scene. Photo by Jeju Coast Guard
12 people are missing following a fishing vessel sinking off the coast of Jeju, and the Coast Guard is conducting search operations at the scene.
At around 4:33 a.m. on the 8th, the Busan-registered fishing vessel ‘135 Geumseongho’ (129-ton class, large purse seine) sank approximately 24 km northwest of Biyangdo, Jeju. Of the 27 people on board (16 Koreans, 11 foreigners), 15 were rescued, but 2 died and 12 remain missing, prompting the Coast Guard to carry out search efforts at the site.
Immediately after the accident, another fishing vessel nearby rescued 15 people and arrived at Hallim Port around 5:46 a.m. Among them, 2 unconscious individuals were promptly transported to a hospital but were declared dead. The remaining 12 people (10 Koreans, 2 foreigners) are still missing.
The Coast Guard reports that the Geumseongho sank after the hull suddenly tilted while transferring the catch to a transport vessel. At the time of the accident, two crew members, including the cook, were inside the vessel, while most of the others were on deck handling the catch transfer, and it is presumed they were not wearing life jackets.
Currently, 14 Coast Guard patrol vessels, the Hallim Police Station coastal rescue boat, rescue teams, 4 helicopters, 3 vessels from related agencies, and 8 civilian fishing boats have been deployed to conduct maritime search operations at the sinking site.
The Coast Guard is investigating the exact cause of the accident based on interviews with the rescued crew members.
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