Search for Missing Crew at Soyeonpyeongdo Sea '1 Dead, 3 Missing' ... Coast Guard and Navy Fully Mobilized

A small fishing boat capsized off the northern end of Soyeonpyeongdo in the West Sea, resulting in one crew member dead and three crew members missing. The Coast Guard is conducting search operations for the second day using vessels and aircraft. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

[Asia Economy Reporter Hana Na] A small fishing boat capsized off Soyeonpyeongdo in the northern West Sea, resulting in one crew member dead and three missing. The Coast Guard is conducting search operations using vessels and aircraft but has yet to find the three missing crew members.

According to the Incheon Coast Guard on the 15th, at 6:07 PM that day, a capsizing report was received from a 12-ton fishing boat A located 23 nautical miles (about 43 km) southwest of Soyeonpyeongdo, Ongjin-gun, Incheon.

As a result of the accident, four out of five male crew members in their 50s to 60s aboard boat A went missing. One was safely rescued.

At around 8:51 PM the previous day, one of the four missing crew members was found unconscious during a search by the Coast Guard and Navy and was transported to a hospital, where he was declared dead three hours later.

The Coast Guard and Navy are currently (as of 9:30 AM on the 15th) continuing the search for the remaining three missing persons.

According to the Coast Guard, at the time of the accident, they were fishing for webfoot octopus on the deck when the net did not come up properly, so they requested help from a nearby vessel. The Coast Guard believes the boat capsized after losing balance during the process of another fishing boat connecting to boat A with a rope and pulling it. The exact cause of the accident is under investigation. The rescued crew member told the Coast Guard, "It capsized in an instant during fishing operations."

Earlier, 17 vessels (11 Coast Guard, 6 Navy), 6 aircraft (2 Coast Guard, 3 Navy, 1 Fire Department), 2 fishery guidance vessels, and 23 nearby fishing boats participated in the search and rescue immediately after the accident. The Coast Guard placed night markers near the accident site to ensure the safety of passing vessels. Lift bags (air cushions) were also installed to prevent the capsized boat from sinking further.

The Coast Guard plans to continue search operations for the missing persons and will additionally search inside the vessel considering the current tidal conditions.

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