4 dead, 5 missing in South Korea boat capsize

By Anadolu staff

ANKARA (AA) – South Korea’s Coast Guard on Sunday confirmed the deaths of four people in a fishing boat that had capsized off the southern coast of South Korea a day earlier, adding that rescue efforts for the five missing crew are still ongoing.

Rescue operations involving 20 ships and four planes were underway in an underwater search for the missing crewmen, Seoul-based Yonhap News reported, citing Coast Guard officials.

Nine crew members, including seven Indonesians, were on board when the 29-ton vessel overturned in the morning in waters 68 kilometers (42 miles) south of an island in Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province.

Four crew members, three of whom were unconscious, were found inside the vessel and transported to a hospital on Saturday. However, all four victims – the South Korean skipper and three Indonesians – were pronounced dead.