Korea's Coast Guard said Saturday it has begun salvage operations of its boat that capsized in waters off the southern island of Jeju, causing the deaths of five foreign sailors.
The Coast Guard boat capsized on Thursday, presumably due to high tides, during a rescue operation for sailors from a Malaysian cargo ship, resulting in the deaths of three Filipino and two Chinese sailors from the cargo ship.
Coast Guard officers said they began to salvage the sunken boat with a crane earlier in the day, and plan to inspect the wreckage to find the exact cause of the accident.
Investigation is also under way into what caused the Malaysian freighter to get into trouble in the first place. The freighter, which was heading to Singapore, asked for help after holes in its hull caused water to rush into the boat, according to the investigators. It sank at around 3:50 p.m. that day. (Yonhap)