One person is confirmed dead while two others have been reported as missing after a fishing vessel sank off the South Korean city of Busan on Thursday, June 25.
The Korea Coast Guard said the incident occurred shortly after 10:00 local time when the unidentified trawler collided with an LPG tanker some 23 nautical miles southeast of the Port of Daebyeon.
The trawler sank shortly afterwards and all eight of her crew ended up in the water.
The crew at the time of the incident consisted of two South Korean nationals, one of whom was the captain, and six Indonesian nationals.
The LPG tanker's crew pulled six of the trawler's occupants out of the water. They were then transferred to a coast guard patrol boat, which brought them to Daebyeon.
Tragically, the trawler's 62-year-old captain, who was among the recovered individuals, was pronounced deceased shortly after he was brought to hospital later that same day.
The five survivors were meanwhile brought to other hospitals after they complained of experiencing symptoms of hypothermia. Two other crewmen, both identified as Indonesian nationals, have not yet been found.
Vessels and helicopters from the coast guard, the Republic of Korea Navy, and other partner agencies are continuing to comb the waters where the trawler sank to attempt to locate any sign of the two missing Indonesian fishermen.
