Fishing boat with 8 aboard catches fire and sinks off Udo, Jeju... 6 missing including Vietnamese nationals

On the morning of the 4th, a fire broke out on the Seogwipo-registered longline fishing vessel A (29 tons, 8 crew members) in the sea southeast of Udo-myeon, Jeju City. [Video capture provided by Jeju Coast Guard]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] A fire broke out on a fishing vessel carrying eight people off the coast of Jeju, and the Coast Guard is conducting a search and rescue operation for the crew members.

At around 3:18 a.m. on the 4th, a report of a fire on the Seogwipo-registered longline fishing vessel A (29 tons) was received by the Seogwipo Coast Guard at a location 74 km southeast of Udo-myeon, Jeju City.

The vessel had eight crew members on board (3 Koreans, 5 Vietnamese), and among them, two Korean crew members escaped after the fire broke out and were rescued by a nearby fishing boat.

However, the remaining crew members have not been found, and the search is ongoing. The missing crew members include one Korean and five Vietnamese.

When the Coast Guard arrived at the scene, the fire had spread throughout the entire vessel, and at around 7:23 a.m., the vessel sank during the Coast Guard's firefighting efforts. The Coast Guard estimated the water depth at the sinking site to be about 140 meters.

The Coast Guard is currently deploying two Coast Guard patrol vessels, one Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries fishery guidance vessel, one Japanese government vessel, 19 private fishing boats, and two helicopters to search for the missing crew members around the sinking area. Additionally, nine Coast Guard patrol vessels, one Navy warship, a maritime rescue team, four government vessels, and one Navy fixed-wing aircraft are en route to the scene.

On the morning of the 4th, a fire broke out on the Seogwipo-registered longline fishing vessel A (29 tons, 8 crew members) in the sea southeast of Udo-myeon, Jeju City. [Video capture provided by Jeju Coast Guard]

Of the two rescued Korean crew members, one sustained burns and was transported to a hospital in Jeju City for treatment, while the other is receiving treatment on a Coast Guard patrol vessel.

A Coast Guard official stated, "We are conducting firefighting and search operations simultaneously, considering all possibilities, including that the crew members may still be inside the sunken vessel or may have escaped into the sea."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.