3 sailors dead, 1 missing in fishing boat capsize
A sailor is being transferred to a hospital after his fishing boat capsized off the western coastal county of Taean, South Chungcheong Province, Thursday. Courtesy of Taean Coast Guard
Two of the three people who went missing after a fishing boat capsized off the western coastal county of Taean on Thursday night were found dead early Friday morning, the maritime police said.
One sailor in his 50s was found on Baeklipo Beach, South Chungcheong, at 2:07 a.m. but was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital, according to the Taean Coast Guard.
Another ill-fated sailor in his 40s was found near the vessel at 8:02 a.m., it said.
He became the third of seven crew members to die after the 9.99-ton vessel capsized at around 6:20 p.m. Thursday in waters about 2.5 km northwest of Taean's Cheonripo port.
Soon after the accident, three sailors were rescued and one was found dead on a nearby beach, leaving the three missing.
The Taean Coast Guard said it is now intensifying its search for the only missing person — the ship's captain in his 40s — by deploying 12 patrol ships, three coastal rescue boats and four aircraft.