Buan Coast Guard: "Two Bodies Presumed Missing Found in Fishing Boat Fire"

On the 13th, a body presumed to be a missing crew member was found in the waters off Wangdeungdo, Wido-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeonbuk, where a fishing boat fire occurred.

Yonhap News

The Buan Coast Guard announced on the 16th, "While searching the seabed by pulling nets, we discovered two bodies presumed to be missing crew members." The discovery location is within a 4 km radius of the accident site.

Of the two bodies, one is presumed to be a Korean national, and the other is believed to be a foreigner of Indonesian nationality. The Coast Guard plans to confirm the identities of the bodies through fingerprint verification, DNA testing, and statements from fellow crew members. However, the Coast Guard expects it will take 2 to 3 days for the foreigner to be processed through the immigration office, and 1 to 2 days for the Korean national.

The Coast Guard is closely monitoring weather conditions while continuing the search for the remaining five missing persons. Additionally, the shipowner of the accident vessel reportedly informed the Coast Guard that, considering safety and other factors, salvage operations are impossible due to a storm advisory issued for all southern West Sea waters starting from 6 p.m. that day.

At around 8:39 a.m. on the 13th, a fire broke out on the 34-ton nearshore trap fishing vessel '2022 Sinbangjuho' (registered in Busan), which was passing 4 km east of Hagwangdeungdo. Of the 12 crew members on board, five (2 Koreans and 3 foreigners) were rescued by the Coast Guard and fishermen, while the remaining seven, who jumped into the sea without any protection, went missing.