Five dead, five others missing after South Korean fishing vessel capsizes in East China Sea

Five people are confirmed dead while another five have gone missing after a fishing vessel capsized and sank in the East China Sea off the South Korean city of Yeosu on Sunday, February 9.

The incident occurred shortly after 01:40 local time on Sunday when the 139-tonne trawler Seogyeong capsized some 17 kilometres east of Habaek Island.

The wreck subsequently settled to a depth of approximately 80 metres.

The Korea Coast Guard, the Republic of Korea Navy, and local police have since despatched vessels and aircraft to the area to conduct search and rescue (SAR) operations.

The SAR effort led to the recovery of four survivors and five deceased victims. Four of the deceased, including the trawler's 66-year-old captain, have been identified as South Korean nationals.

The coast guard, the navy, and partner agencies are continuing to search the surrounding waters for any trace of the four missing crewmembers.

Seogyeong's 14-strong crew at the time of the capsizing included South Korean, Indonesian, and Vietnamese nationals.

The loss of Seogyeong is the third fatal fishing vessel accident to occur in South Korean waters since the beginning of the year. Two earlier accidents in January and February have a combined death toll of six.

Fishing vessel accidents have become common in South Korea over the last five years with nearly 10,000 recorded instances and 305 deaths.

The accidents over the last five years have been blamed on safety and regulatory lapses, in particular the inadequate training of crews, poorly conducted safety inspections, and failure to use safety equipment such as lifejackets.

Failure to make accurate weather information available to crews was also identified in a study jointly conducted by the South Korean private and public sectors.