Tragic Incident: Three Lives Lost as Fishing Vessel Strikes Rocks Off South Korea's Southwestern Shore
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Washington, Jan 4 (NationPress) Three individuals tragically perished after a fishing vessel carrying 22 people collided with rocks off the southwestern coast of South Korea on Saturday, as reported by officials.
The Coast Guard and relevant authorities received an emergency call at approximately 10:30 a.m. regarding the incident near Gageo Island in Sinan, South Jeolla Province, according to the Yonhap news agency.
The three victims were found in cardiac arrest and were declared dead upon arrival at a nearby hospital.
The other 19 individuals were successfully rescued by the Coast Guard and a nearby vessel, all of whom were found to be in stable condition.
It is believed that these individuals jumped into the water to await rescue as their boat was at risk of capsizing.
Initially, the Coast Guard reported that the vessel had 21 passengers, but it was later confirmed that there were indeed 22 on board.
Authorities are set to launch an investigation into the cause of the accident and to clarify the discrepancy in the passenger count.
The Coast Guard indicated that the vessel's captain may face charges for professional negligence leading to death.
Earlier on Monday, two people were rescued while five others went missing after a cargo vessel capsized off the western coast of South Korea.
The incident was reported at 6:26 p.m. local time, involving an 83-ton vessel with seven people onboard that overturned in waters near Seosan, situated about 100 km southwest of Seoul.
The Coast Guard managed to rescue two individuals who were found clinging to the overturned ship, while the remaining five were still unaccounted for.
Search efforts by the Coast Guard and fire authorities included the deployment of patrol ships, aircraft, and rescue teams to scour the waters surrounding the site of the incident.
In a related event on the same day, another 83-ton car ferry capsized off the southwestern coast, resulting in two rescues and five additional individuals reported missing.
