South Korean ship catches fire in Antarctica, 3 Vietnamese missing.

Three Vietnamese sailors are missing and presumed dead after their fishing vessel caught fire in Antarctica. According to rescue workers, the ship is still burning and appears to be sinking.

The Jeong Woo 2 ship sent a distress signal early on the morning of January 11 - Photo: shipspotting.com

The BBC, citing the New Zealand Rescue Coordination Centre, reported that the Jeong Woo 2, registered in South Korea, sent a distress signal early this morning, January 11th, while in the Ross Sea, approximately 3,700km southeast of New Zealand.

Two nearby South Korean fishing vessels rushed to the scene and rescued 37 people. However, three sailors went missing and are presumed dead in the fire.

"Three sailors are missing, all Vietnamese, and are believed to have died in their cabin where they were sleeping," Woo Suk-dong, the South Korean consul in New Zealand, told Yonhap news agency.

He also stated that among the 37 people rescued, six were South Koreans and 31 were from Vietnam, Indonesia, China, and Russia.

Six of these people were injured (none were Korean), including two who suffered severe burns.

Currently, a US research vessel, equipped with a hospital on board, is en route to the site of the Jeong Woo 2 accident to assist the injured, while two rescue ships remain stranded due to thick ice and fog.

The Ross Sea in Antarctica is currently covered in ice - Photo: AAP

According to AFP, the Jeong Woo 2, measuring 51 meters in length, was built in Japan and registered in Busan, South Korea.

This is the second fishing vessel to encounter problems in the Antarctic waters in just the past month.

Last month, the Russian fishing vessel Sparta also became stranded near the South Pole after hitting ice and suffering a hole in its hull, leaving 32 crew members trapped in the area for 12 days.

According to Tuoi Tre (Youth)