3 migrant sailors missing after fishing boat collision

Maritime police coordinate rescue efforts at the Seoul Government Complex after the collision of two Korean fishing boats off the coast of Sapporo, Japan, Thursday. / Yonhap

By Lee Suh-yoon

Two South Korean fishing boats collided off the southeastern coast of Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost island, Thursday, leaving three foreign sailors missing.

The collision took place around 6:20 a.m. when one of the boats – the 101 Geumyang-ho heading north toward Russian waters – collided with the 803 Tongyeong-ho and sank, about 600 kilometers southeast of Sapporo, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

A total of 38 crew members – seven Korean and 31 foreign sailors – were on board the two ships.

Thirty-five were rescued by nearby ships but three migrant sailors still remain missing.

“The rescued sailors are all in good health, and we have notified their families of the incident,” a ministry official said.

The Japanese maritime authorities have dispatched a 1,300-ton patrol ship to search for the missing, according to the Maritime Police.