Search for 12 missing crew members of South Korean fishing boat continues

ANKARA

Search for 12 missing crew members of a South Korean fishing boat that sank in waters off Jeju Island continued on the second day, local media reported on Saturday.

The incident happened in waters some 24 kilometers (14.9 miles) off the shores of South Korea’s southern island of Jeju on Friday, in which two people died and 12 others went missing.

According to the Jeju branch of the Korea Coast Guard, a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) is set to be submerged once in the morning and again in the afternoon for search of the seabed, local broadcaster KBS World reported.

Government has also decided to send 53 military vessels and fishing boats, as well as nine planes, to take part in the search operation.

A search inside the boat is unlikely to happen on Saturday, as a team of 12 deep sea divers and a crane barge are set to arrive Sunday night, according to broadcaster.

The boat was carrying 27 crew members including 16 South Koreans and 11 Indonesians. 15 crew members were rescued on Friday while two of them died at a health facility.

Meanwhile, the Indonesian government also urged South Korea to strengthen their search efforts for the Indonesians who disappeared in the incident.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid