Towing of Sinking Vessel off Gyeongju Coast Decided... "No More Missing Persons Inside the Ship"

Drifted 30km from Accident Site... Large Trawler Deployed
Day 3 of Accident: 2 Rescued, 1 Miraculously Survives on Fishing Boat

On the 21st, Coast Guard rescue team members are rescuing a Korean crew member who survived inside the capsized fishing vessel Georyongho off the coast of Gyeongju, Gyeongbuk.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Park Dong-wook] As the search operation for the capsized red snow crab fishing vessel (9.77t) off the coast of Gampo, Gyeongju City, Gyeongbuk, enters its fourth day, the Coast Guard has decided to tow the accident vessel to Guryongpo Port in Pohang City.

According to the Pohang Coast Guard on the 22nd, after eight internal searches of the hull, the Coast Guard rescue team concluded that there were no missing persons inside the vessel and is preparing towing operations by deploying a large trawl fishing vessel to the accident site.

The accident vessel, 'Georyongho,' was found about 80 km east of Gampo, approximately 30 km away from the accident site, having been pushed by waves since the accident.

A Coast Guard official stated, "The towing will not be conducted immediately today. We will make a decision after reviewing comprehensive results, including whether the hull can withstand the operation," adding, "Towing proceeds at an average speed of 2 knots (4 km/h), so it will take considerable time."

Meanwhile, the Coast Guard has expanded the search area by deploying a total of about 40 vessels, including Coast Guard, Navy, and Air Force helicopters and aircraft, around 20 ships of 3,000 tons class, and about 20 civilian fishing vessels centered on the accident area. At the time of the accident, six people were on board the Georyongho: the captain, two Korean crew members, three Vietnamese crew members, and one Chinese-Korean.

On the third day of the search, the 21st, two crew members were found. Among them, one Vietnamese crew member was deceased, and one Korean crew member was safely rescued and is receiving treatment at a hospital.

The surviving crew member was rescued around 10:16 a.m. on the 21st from inside the capsized fishing vessel about 42 km east of Gampo Port, Gyeongju City. After the vessel overturned, the fish hold was not completely flooded, leaving some air inside. Thanks to this, it is known that the crew member was miraculously rescued about 40 hours after the accident occurred.

Earlier, at around 6:46 p.m. on the 19th, a sinking report of the Georyongho was received about 42 km east of Gampo Port. The Coast Guard and Navy conducted a nighttime search and discovered the overturned fishing vessel about 4 km from the reported location after approximately three hours.

On the 20th, the Coast Guard attempted to strike the hull of a capsized fishing vessel off the coast of Gampo, Gyeongju, to check for survivors inside the vessel amid challenging conditions such as high waves.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

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