Fishing boat sinks in South Korea, 9 Chinese crew members missing.

A Cambodian fishing boat sank off the coast of Ulleung Island in South Korea, with 12 people missing, including nine Chinese nationals.

According to Xinhua News Agency, this morning, February 21st, the South Korean Coast Guard received a distress signal from a Cambodian fishing vessel. The report stated that the vessel weighed 296 tons and carried 12 crew members. At that time, the ship was located 548km northeast of Ulleung Island.

South Korean coast guard rescues a sailor from a distressed Chinese fishing vessel (center) in October 2012 - Photo: AFP

The South Korean coast guard dispatched four ships and three patrol aircraft to the accident site to search for the missing sailors, and requested assistance from Russia and Japan in the rescue operation. Japan also sent two patrol ships and two aircraft to participate.

The ship departed from a port in Japan two days ago and was heading towards Sokcho port in South Korea. The cause of the sinking and the fate of the missing crew members are currently unknown.

According to Tuoi Tre - DT