On the Second Day After Geumseongho Sinking... "Search Expanded Including Deployment of Underwater Robots"

Search efforts to find the missing persons from the sinking of the Geumseongho that occurred off the coast of Jeju on the 8th continue into the second day.

Yonhap News

According to the Jeju Regional Coast Guard on the 9th, the navy salvage ship's underwater exploration equipment, a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV), will be deployed once each in the morning and afternoon to search the seabed around the accident site. They will also confirm the exact location and the sunken condition of the Geumseongho on the seabed. The Coast Guard explained that the underwater situation can be viewed through the camera attached to the ROV.

It is expected that hull searches will be difficult on this day. Twelve deep-sea divers and a crane barge necessary for the operation are scheduled to arrive at the site on the 10th of this month.

The previous day, the navy salvage ships Gwangyang and Cheonghaejin arrived at the accident area and were deployed for underwater searches. The Coast Guard divers, numbering 27, are also on standby at the site for the second day of underwater search operations.

The Geumseongho has completely sunk and lies at a depth of 80 to 90 meters underwater. The hull of the Geumseongho was initially confirmed about 370 meters northeast of the first accident point on the morning of the previous day. When checked in the afternoon using navy sonar equipment, it was found about 220 meters southeast of the initial accident point.

Regarding this, the Coast Guard explained, "Fishing nets floating underwater are connected to the hull," and "The hull is not completely resting on the seabed but is slightly lifted, so it appears to be moving little by little."

Searches at sea also continue. From 6 a.m. on this day, considering the predicted seawater flow, the search area will be expanded from 28 km east-west and 19 km north-south on the previous day to 37 km east-west and 19 km north-south on this day. A total of 53 vessels, including civilian, government, and military ships and fishing boats, and 9 aircraft will be mobilized for the maritime search.

On the Jeju Island coastline, more than 400 personnel from the Coast Guard, military, fire department, police, and Jeju Province are mobilized to conduct searches on foot or using drones.

Earlier, during underwater searches on the previous day, several fishing nets from the Geumseongho were confirmed, and at sea, 24 items of seven types of debris, including a damaged refrigerator, fishing nets, wooden box lids, boots, and buoys, were recovered. The Coast Guard also sent letters to neighboring countries such as Japan and China requesting notification if any missing persons are found.

At around 4:31 a.m. the previous day, the Coast Guard received a report from a nearby fishing vessel that the 129-ton large purse seiner 135 Geumseongho, registered in Busan, was sinking about 22 km northwest off Biyangdo, Jeju.

Among the 27 crew members (16 Koreans, 11 Indonesians), 15 were rescued by nearby vessels, but two of the Koreans died. Additionally, 12 people (10 Koreans, 2 Indonesians) remain missing.