US joins search for sunken South Korean fishing boat in Bering Sea
The discovery of four empty lifeboats has raised fears that the missing may have sunk to the bottom of the icy sea.
South Korea's foreign ministry said today that U.S. rescue teams have joined the search for 52 people missing after a South Korean fishing boat sank in the icy waters of the Bering Sea, northeast of Russia.
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| The ship had an accident on December 1 (photo: Reuters) |
A US Coast Guard aircraft is on the scene and a US search and rescue ship is expected to arrive in the area early tomorrow morning. Along with five other ships already in the area, the force will join the search for the nearly 2,000-ton South Korean fishing boat Oryong 501 that sank on the morning of December 1.
Rescuers have now found four empty and damaged lifeboats, raising fears that the missing crew may have sunk to the icy seabed when the ship sank.
At the time of the accident, there were 60 people on board, including 11 South Koreans, 35 Indonesians, 13 Filipinos and a Russian fisheries inspector. The Russian citizen and six foreign crew members were rescued while the body of a South Korean was found.
According to Russia's Oleg Karev ocean rescue center, rescuers also saw another body floating around the area but were unable to recover it due to stormy weather./.
According to VOV
