Changwon Coast Guard is searching for a missing passenger near Hongdo Island, Geoje City. Photo by Changwon Coast Guard Station
A male passenger in his 60s who was on board a 9-ton fishing boat went missing near the waters off Hongdo Island in Geoje City, South Gyeongsang Province, and the Coast Guard is currently conducting a search.
According to the Changwon Coast Guard Station, at around 7:10 a.m. on November 2, a report was received at the Changwon Coast Guard Sinhang Patrol Station that a passenger was missing.
The Changwon Coast Guard dispatched 12 vessels, including patrol boats and coastal rescue boats from the patrol station, as well as 9 vessels from the Marine Disaster Rescue Unit and aircraft, to the accident site to search for the missing person.
In addition, a joint response was requested from the Tongyeong Coast Guard to aid in the search.
It was determined that the fishing boat departed from Angol Port in Jinhae-gu, Changwon City at 1:41 p.m. the previous day, operated fishing activities near the waters off Hongdo Island in Geoje City, and then returned to Angol Port at approximately 6:45 a.m. on the day of the incident.
While checking the number of passengers before docking, the captain discovered that Mr. A, a man in his 60s from Busan, was missing and reported it to the authorities.
The Changwon Coast Guard is focusing its search on the waters 5.3 miles north of Hongdo Island, based on the last known location of Mr. A’s mobile phone and the time he was last seen.
Mr. A was reportedly wearing a life jacket at the time he was last seen.
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