Fishing Vessel Sinks Off Busan Coast: 1 Dead, 1 Missing

Eight People Aboard... Six Crew Members Safely Rescued
Korean Captain in His 60s Confirmed Dead

A fishing vessel carrying eight people sank while operating off the coast of Busan, resulting in one death and one person missing.

According to the Ulsan Coast Guard on September 19, at approximately 11:52 a.m. that day, an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) distress signal was received from the 79-ton single trawl fishing vessel A, registered in Yeongdo, Busan, about 61.6 kilometers east of Songjeong Port, Busan. The EPIRB is a signal automatically sent to the Coast Guard and others when a vessel sinks.

On the 19th, crew members who fell into the sea off Songjeong, Busan, and were rescued by a nearby fishing boat are boarding a Coast Guard patrol vessel. Photo by Yonhap News.

It was determined that the vessel departed from Namhang Port in Busan at 11:04 p.m. the previous day with three Korean nationals and five Indonesian nationals on board and sank while operating. Of these, seven people-three Koreans and four Indonesians-were rescued by nearby fishing boats. However, the Korean captain in his 60s was found in cardiac arrest, transferred to a hospital, and later pronounced dead. The missing person is an Indonesian national. The rescued crew members reportedly suffered no major injuries other than hypothermia.

The Coast Guard deployed patrol vessels and aircraft to search the area near the accident site but was unable to locate the missing person. Currently, the Coast Guard is conducting a nighttime search, deploying six patrol vessels and one aircraft to comb the surrounding waters. However, the search is being hampered by strong winds of 14 to 16 meters per second and waves up to 3 meters high in the area.

According to statements from the rescued crew, the vessel appears to have capsized and sunk while turning direction as it was hauling in the net. They testified that, due to the sudden capsizing of the vessel, none of them were able to put on life jackets, nor were they able to send a distress signal or make a phone call to report the accident to the Coast Guard.

The Coast Guard plans to recover the hull and conduct a thorough investigation to determine the exact cause of the accident. Although the location of the hull has not yet been pinpointed, the Coast Guard believes the vessel likely sank to a depth of about 130 to 170 meters near the area where the EPIRB distress signal was sent. The water depth at the accident site is about 170 meters. A Coast Guard official stated, "We plan to investigate the cause of the accident, keeping open the possibility of overloading and other factors."