Korean captain dead, 2 Indonesian crew members still missing after fishing boat sinks off Busan

In this photo provided by the Ulsan Coast Guard, six crew members of a fishing boat are transported to a coastal rescue ship, after the 79-ton boat capsized due to a collision with a 992-ton liquefied petroleum gas carrier in waters off the southeastern port city of Busan, Thursday. Yonhap

ULSAN — A fishing boat sank Thursday in waters off the southeastern city of Busan, leaving the boat's Korean captain dead and two Indonesian crew members missing, maritime authorities said.

The 79-ton fishing boat sank after colliding with a 992-ton liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carrier at 10:10 a.m., according to the Ulsan Coast Guard.

The collision threw all eight crew members of the boat — two Koreans and six Indonesians — into the sea. The LPG carrier managed to rescue six of the crew members, but two Indonesian nationals, both in their 30s, remained missing hours after the sinking.

The Coast Guard has deployed patrol vessels, helicopters and other pieces of equipment near the site of the accident to locate the two, according to officials.

Among the six rescued was the 62-year-old skipper, who was immediately sent to a hospital as he was deemed in serious condition, but was pronounced dead at 1:30 p.m. The other five were also taken to hospitals after showing signs of hypothermia, the officials said.

President Lee Jae Myung ordered the mobilization of all available resources to rescue those missing immediately after he was briefed on the accident, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said.

The crew members were reportedly on the deck fishing at the time of the accident.

The Ulsan Coast Guard said it plans to question the rescued crew members, as well as those of the LPG carrier, to find out the exact details of the accident.