Probe into boat sinking begins
Coast guards at a wharf near the Incheon Coast Guard Headquarters examine a fishing boat, Monday, that capsized off the coast of Incheon the day before. / Yonhap
President Moon Jae-in says gov’t should take responsibility
By Jung Min-ho
The Coast Guard is investigating the cause of the boat crash that killed at least 13 people off the west coast of Incheon Sunday.
The Incheon Coast Guard said Monday it has secured surveillance cameras and GPS equipment of a 336-ton tanker, which crashed into a 9.77-ton fishing boat in West Sea waters near Yeongheung Island at around 6:09 a.m.
The smaller boat had 22 people on board. The accident has left 13 of them dead and two missing; the rest have been rescued.
“We will analyze the GPS and cameras first to find out what happened,” Hwang Joon-hyun, a senior Coast Guard official, told reporters. “We will also investigate whether sailors on the tanker breached their duty of care.”
Two people from the tanker ― a 37-year-old captain and a 46-year-old deckhand ― have been detained over the accident. The prosecution is soon expected to request arrest warrants for them.
The captain, surnamed Jeon, told the Coast Guard he saw the fishing boat before the crash but did not change the tanker’s direction thinking the boat would shift its course.
According to the Coast Guard, the deckhand, surnamed Kim, was supposed to be on duty to navigate the ship but he was not in the wheelhouse at the time of the accident.
The Coast Guard suspects the tanker crashed into the fishing boat from behind. Coast Guard investigators have searched the tanker and questioned its 27-man crew.
“We do not make any assumptions here,” Hwang said. “We will look into every possibility to get to the truth.”
Meanwhile, rescue workers have been trying to find the two missing people. Following the accident, the government mobilized 30 Coast Guard boats, seven Navy vessels, one local government vessel, two Coast Guard planes and one Air Force plane for search operations. More ships and planes are expected to join.
President Moon Jae-in said the government is responsible for finding the missing people.
“Check if there are any problems in our safety system. The government should be held accountable for protecting its citizens no matter what,” Moon said during a Cheong Wa Dae meeting with his secretaries.
“My heart goes out to the victims and their families. I hope the missing two will come home safely.”
Maritime accidents have grown as the number of people chartering private fishing boats continues to increase.
According to data from Rep. Park Wan-joo of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, 3.4 million people used services offered by private fishing boats so far this year, a 15.9 percent increase from 2016.
The number of accidents stood at 206 in 2015 and 208 in 2016. This year, there have been 160 accidents as of August. The largest number of accidents occurred because of collisions.