Death toll in South Korean ship sinking 'Oryong-501' continues to rise

Sajo Industries (South Korea) - the fishing company that operates the fishing vessel "Oryong - 501" that sank off the western Bering Sea in the Russian Far East on December 1, has just announced: On December 4, rescue workers discovered the bodies of 7 more crew members trapped in the frozen waters of the Russian Far East after the accident 3 days ago.

A photo of the South Korean fishing boat "Oryong-501" before the accident. (Photo: Reuters)

Thus, to date, the number of confirmed fatalities in the sinking of the fishing vessel “Oryong-501” off the coast of Russia has reached 20 people. The latest announcement from Sajo Industries said that out of the total 60 crew members on board the ship when it crashed, only 7 have been rescued (unchanged from the initial figures) and 33 others are still confirmed missing. However, it is forecasted that the death toll in the December 1 sinking will continue to rise due to severe weather that is hindering search and rescue efforts at the scene of the accident.

The South Korean ship “Oryong-501”, built in Spain in 1978 and owned by the South Korean fishing company Sajo Industries since 2010, sank in bad weather conditions despite the crew’s efforts to save it, a Sajo Industries representative said. According to another Sajo Industries representative (who asked not to be named), at the time the “Oryong-501” sank, the waves were more than 4 meters high and the sea water temperature was below -10 degrees Celsius.

Speaking from Sajo Industries headquarters in the southern port city of Busan, the company's chairman, Yim Chae-ok, pledged to launch a comprehensive search operation for the missing sailors once weather conditions improve.

Sajo Industries representatives said that eight ships are currently involved in the search and rescue operation at the scene of the shipwreck. However, the company also predicted that the operation would enter a “more active” phase after the US Coast Guard and Russia sent helicopters to join the search.

It is known that the Korean Ministry of Public Safety has launched an investigation into the cause of the sinking of the "Oryong-501" ship.

Speaking after meeting with the families of the missing crew members, South Korean Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Lee Ju-young pledged to make the utmost efforts in the search and rescue operation for the “Oryong-501” and to provide all necessary support measures for the victims of the accident.

Meanwhile, the South Korean government has decided to mobilize two naval surveillance aircraft and a 5,000-ton patrol ship to the scene to join the search and rescue operation for the missing sailors. A South Korean government official said that the patrol ship will begin to depart late on December 5 after completing preparations and will take nine days to travel before reaching the scene of the accident.

The South Korean Foreign Ministry said that the Seoul government has contacted the US, Russia and Japan to request permission for South Korean surveillance planes to fly over their airspace to participate in the search and rescue mission for the fishing boat "Oryong-501"./.

According to Dangcongsan.vn