Three People Dead After Fishing Vessel Capsizes Near Gunsan, South Korea

A 35-ton fishing vessel capsized off the coast near Gunsan, a southwestern port city in North Jeolla Province, leaving three dead, according to the Korea Coast Guard.

The Coast Guard successfully rescued all eight people aboard the vessel. However, three — the Korean captain, the Korean chief engineer, and an Indonesian sailor — were taken to hospitals but were later pronounced dead, Yonhap news agency reported.

The five survivors, including three Vietnamese and two Indonesian crew members, are reported to be in stable condition.

The Coast Guard was alerted to the incident at 7:36 a.m. local time and promptly initiated a rescue mission. Authorities are investigating the possibility of a collision, as witnesses noted a 1,618-ton petroleum product carrier passing near the vessel.

“We have yet to identify the deceased foreign sailor,” a Coast Guard official said, adding that a full investigation into the accident’s circumstances will commence once the injured have recovered.