South Korea: Chinese fishing boat capsizes in southwestern waters; 9 people unaccounted for

Seoul, Nov 10 A Chinese fishing boat capsized off the southwestern coast of South Korea on Monday, leaving nine people unaccounted for, officials said.

The 99-tonne vessel was reported to have turned over some 150 kilometres southwest of the island of Eocheong at 8:53 a.m., the Gunsan Coast Guard said, citing a distress call from the Chinese coast guard.

Of the 11 people aboard, two were rescued by a passing cargo ship, while nine remained missing.

Four patrol vessels and helicopters have been deployed to the site to search for the crew members.

The accident occurred just a day after another Chinese fishing vessel capsized in southwestern waters, leaving two Chinese crew members dead and three others missing.

The remaining six crew members were rescued by nearby vessels, Yonhap news agency reported.

Earlier on November 9, a Chinese fishing boat capsized off South Korea's southwestern Gageo Island, leaving three crew members missing and two others in cardiac arrest, Coast Guard officials had said.

The 98-tonne vessel sank in international waters about 80 kilometres off Gageo Island at around 6:50 a.m., according to officials.

Of the 11 people on board, six were initially rescued by another Chinese vessel operating nearby. The Coast Guard had rescued two more who were drifting at sea, but both were found in cardiac arrest and rushed to a hospital, officials had said.

The Coast Guard said a search operation was under way for the three missing fishermen in cooperation with its Chinese counterpart.

The most prominent recent boat sinking in South Korea was the 2014 MV Sewol ferry disaster, which was caused by a combination of factors including structural failure, overloading, and crew negligence. Recent reports have confirmed that the ship had been illegally modified, causing it to be unstable, and a sharp turn destabilised it further. In addition, crew instructed passengers to stay put while they escaped, and the initial rescue operation was poorly coordinated.

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