Korean ship catches fire, Vietnamese crew missing
An 85-ton South Korean fishing boat with 12 crew members caught fire this morning, January 17, causing two foreign crew members to jump into the sea to escape and go missing, including one Vietnamese.
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| South Korean Coast Guard approaches burning fishing boat on the morning of January 17: Screenshot |
According to South Korea's Yonhap News Agency, the incident occurred at around 8:25 a.m. on January 17 (local time), or around 6:25 a.m. the same day Vietnam time, on an 85-ton fishing boat carrying 12 crew members. When it reached the sea about 6.4 km northeast of Oenaro Island in Goheung County, South Jeolla Province, the boat suddenly caught fire.
Immediately after receiving the news, the Korean Coast Guard was deployed and controlled and extinguished the fire. However, two crew members, a 23-year-old Vietnamese and a 29-year-old Chinese, were confirmed missing after the incident.
The two are believed to have jumped into the sea to escape the chaos on board. The South Korean coast guard is conducting a search for the missing. Another Vietnamese crew member suffered burns and was taken to hospital, Yonhap added.
South Korean authorities are currently investigating the cause of the fire. Oenaro Island is located about 330 km south of Seoul.
