Yeosu: A fishing trawler with 14 crew members on board sank in waters off South Korea’s southern coast early Sunday, resulting in four fatalities and six individuals reported missing, officials stated. Rescue operations are currently in progress.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the 139-ton vessel was carrying eight South Koreans, three Vietnamese, and three Indonesians when it was reported missing at 1:41 a.m. The incident occurred approximately 17 kilometers east of the island of Habaek, near Yeosu, which is located 316 km south of Seoul. So far, the Coast Guard and other fishing boats have rescued eight crew members. Among the deceased are four South Koreans, including the 66-year-old captain of the vessel.

Five of those rescued, including the captain, two Vietnamese, and two Indonesian crew members, were located aboard a life raft. The others were found drifting in the waters. The two Indonesian crew members who were rescued have been taken to the Coast Guard’s office in Yeosu for an interview regarding the accident. Meanwhile, the Vietnamese nationals are receiving medical treatment at a nearby hospital due to signs of hypothermia.

The Coast Guard has indicated that preliminary findings suggest the vessel capsized after heavily tilting to its left side, based on statements from the rescued Vietnamese crew members. They reported that, aside from three people trapped inside the ship, all other crew members had jumped into the sea.

Despite challenging weather conditions, the Coast Guard noted that it is uncommon for a vessel of over 100 tons to capsize in the 2.5-meter waves that were present at the time. An investigation into the exact cause of the incident is underway. The trawler had been part of a group of four other fishing vessels but reportedly did not issue a distress signal, leading to speculation that the sinking occurred unexpectedly.

The vessel had departed from Gamcheon port in Busan, situated about 320 km southeast of Seoul, on Saturday. Its mission was to fish in the waters near the southwestern island of Heuksan in South Jeolla Province. In the search for the missing crew members, a total of 24 patrol ships, four Navy vessels, 13 aircraft, and additional civilian and agency ships have been deployed.

During the morning’s search efforts, a Coast Guard high-speed boat capsized due to high waves, but all six individuals on board were rescued by another Coast Guard vessel.