22 feared dead as Korean vessel sinks off Antarctica

By Kim Rahn A Korean deep-sea fishing vessel went down in the seas off Antarctica, leaving five fishermen dead and 17 others missing Monday. The 614-ton fishing boat, No. 1 Insung, sank in waters about 2,593 kilometers (1,400 nautical miles) south of New Zealand, around 4:30 a.m., according to the Korea Coast Guard. Five sailors — two Koreans, two Indonesian and a Vietnamese — died immediately during the sinking, with their bodies recovered by sailors on nearby ships. Of the 17 who went missing, five are Koreans including the captain. A total of 42 crewmen were onboard, including a Russian, three Filipinos, eight Chinese, 11 Indonesians and 11 Vietnamese. After the incident, five nearby fishing boats went to the rescue, picking up 20 survivors including one Korean. One of the boats reported the sinking to the Korean authorities, which then asked the New Zealand rescue authorities for help in the search operation. The cause of the sinking is unknown yet, according to the authorities of the two countries. The Rescue Coordination Center, New Zealand, said the vessel did not send out an S.O.S. or any other form of emergency communication. The ship owner, Insung, and the authorities said the vessel sank so quickly that only those who could immediately abandon ship survived. They presume that the odds are low that there will be any more survivors in the icy water there — the sea temperature was 2 degrees Celsius at that time and survival time in the water is about 10 minutes without lifejackets or immersion suits, according to the center. The vessel has been fishing for Patagonian toothfish since Nov. 21 and planned to head for Uruguay or New Zealand in February, said an official of Insung. 남극에서 원양어선 침몰, 22명 사망, 실종 월요일 남극해역에서 한국 원양어선이 침몰, 5명이 사망하고 17명이 실종됐다. 해양경찰에 따르면, 인성 1호 (614톤)는 뉴질랜드 남쪽 2,593km 해역에서 오전 4시 반 경 침몰했다. 한국인 선원 2명, 인도네시아 선원 2명 그리고 1명의 베트남 선원 등 총 5명이 사고직후 죽어 인근 배의 선원들이 시체를 인양했다. 실종된 17명 중 선장 포함 5명은 한국인이다. 총 42명이 승선했으며 러시아인 1명, 필리핀인 3명, 중국인 8명, 인도네시아인과 베트남인이 각각 11명이다.

rahnita@koreatimes.co.kr