Yeosu - A fishing trawler with 14 crew members on board sank in waters off the southern coast of South Korea early Sunday, leaving four people dead and six others missing, including one Indonesian citizen.
Yonhap reported Sunday citing local officials who said rescue efforts were still underway.
The 139-ton vessel was carrying eight South Koreans, three Vietnamese and three Indonesians. It was reported missing at 1:41 a.m. local time in waters about 17 kilometers east of Habaek Island, near Yeosu, which is about 316 kilometers south of Seoul.
Coast guard vessels and other fishing boats have so far rescued eight crew members, but four South Koreans died, including the ship's 66-year-old captain.
Five of the rescued victims, including the captain, two Vietnamese and two Indonesians, were found on a lifeboat, while the others were found floating in the water.
The two rescued Indonesians have been transferred to the Coast Guard office in Yeosu for interview regarding the incident, while the Vietnamese national is undergoing treatment at a nearby hospital after showing signs of hypothermia.
The coast guard said the boat likely capsized after listing sharply to its port side, citing statements from surviving Vietnamese crew members.
"In addition to the three people who were on board, 11 other crew members jumped into the sea," authorities said at a news conference.
Despite the bad weather conditions, the coast guard considered it unusual for a vessel weighing more than 100 tons to capsize in waves as high as 2.5 meters at the time of the incident. Therefore, further investigation is underway to determine the exact cause of the incident.
The trawler was part of a group of four other fishing vessels, but reportedly did not send out a distress signal, leading the coast guard office to suspect the vessel sank suddenly.
The vessel departed from Gamcheon Port in Busan, about 320 km southeast of Seoul, on Saturday to fish in waters near Heuksan Island, South Jeolla Province.
A total of 24 patrol boats, 4 Navy ships, 13 aircraft, as well as civilian vessels and other related agencies, have been deployed to search for the missing crew.
During the morning search, a coast guard speedboat capsized due to high waves, but all six crew members on board were rescued.