One dead, two missing after fishing boat capsizes

(Left) Coastguards found a life raft with six survivors from the capsized fishing boat Hyunjin-ho at night on Dec. 31. (Right) Coastguards found the capsized Hyunjin-ho near Chuja Island

By Ko Dong-hwan

A man is dead and two are missing after a fishing boat capsized off the south coast on Dec. 28.

Coastguards found a life raft with six sailors from the 203 Hyunjin-ho about 5.5 kilometers southeast of where the vessel capsized. One man was unconscious and was taken by helicopter to a hospital in Jeju Island. He died while being treated.

The others, including the captain and the boatswain, were taken to the same hospital, where they were being treated for hypothermia.

Thirteen coastguard ships, two helicopters, six private fishing boats and two navy vessels searched areas near where the Hyunjin-ho capsized, but failed to find the two missing men.

Hyunjin-ho left Hallim Harbor on Jeju Island on Dec. 28 and capsized near Chuja Island for unknown reasons.

The crew of another fishing boat saw the capsized vessel at around 7:18 p.m. the same day and reported the sighting to the island’s coastguards.

The Jeju coastguard sent a 5,000-ton ship to the area and called for back-up from coastguards in Mokpo and Wando in South Jeolla Province.