13 killed as fishing boat capsized off Incheon

Coast Guard members carry out a rescue operation after a fishing boat capsized following a collision with a refueling tanker in waters off the western port city of Incheon, Sunday. / Yonhap

By Kim Bo-eun

Thirteen people were killed and two went missing when a fishing boat collided with a refueling tanker and capsized in waters off the western port city of Incheon early Sunday, according to the Coast Guard.

Rescue workers are continuing their search for the missing as of Sunday 5 p.m.

The Incheon Coast Guard said a 9.77-ton fishing boat capsized in the West Sea off Yeongheung Island at around 6:09 a.m. after colliding with a 336-ton tanker.

The boat had 22 people on board _ two crew members and 20 customers.

The Coast Guard found 20 of them _ four were rescued by the tanker.

Thirteen have been confirmed dead and seven are receiving treatment at hospitals but are not in a life-threatening condition, the maritime authorities said. The boat’s captain and a customer remain missing.

The Coast Guard said a rescue boat was dispatched around 30 minutes after the report was filed. Thirteen people were rescued from within the boat and seven from the waters in an unconscious state.

Despite relatively quick rescue efforts, casualties are seen to have occurred due to swift currents and low water temperatures, authorities said. All on board had been wearing life jackets.

The boat had departed a port of Yeongheung Island at 6 a.m. to catch fish.

According to the Coast Guard, the vessel had obtained approval as a fishing boat and had reported its departure. Although it had been cloudy and windy, weather conditions had been adequate for fishing, authorities said.

President Moon Jae-in received reports less than an hour after the accident occurred. He arrived at the state crisis management center around 9:25 a.m., ordering all-out efforts for rescue operations.

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries has drawn up a task force to handle the situation.

Nineteen Coast Guard and navy vessels, as well as five aircraft have been mobilized to search for the missing people.

The collision is presumed to have taken place while the vessels were passing a narrow channel under Yeongheung Bridge.

Authorities are looking into the details of the accident.

The last fishing boat sinking which gave rise to multiple casualties occurred in September 2015, off the coast of Jeju Island. Fifteen died and three went missing.

Accidents have grown as the number of people boarding private fishing boats continues to increase.

According to data from Rep. Park Wan-joo, 3.4 million used services offered by private fishing boats, which is a 15.9 percent increase from a year earlier.

The number of accidents stood at 206 in 2015 and 208 in 2016. This year, there were 160 accidents as of August. The largest number of accidents occurred from collisions.

Thirty-five accidents involving fishing boats have occurred off Incheon in the past five years.