Two Chinese Fishing Vessels Capsize off South Korea, Leaving 12 Missing

A dozen fishermen are missing after two Chinese vessels capsized off the coast of South Korea over the weekend, prompting a large-scale search effort.

The first vessel - identified only as the "A" - capsized at about 0650 hours Sunday morning at a position about 70 nautical miles from Gageo. Out of the 11 people on board, six crewmembers were rescued by a good Samaritan vessel and were in good health.

The Korea Coast Guard dispatched rescue assets and retrieved two more crewmembers from the water, but they were in a state of cardiac arrest and did not survive the ordeal. Three more individuals remain unaccounted for, and search efforts continued Monday, assisted by the China Coast Guard. Given the nationality of the vessel, and its location in international waters, the Korea Coast Guard says that the Chinese government will be undertaking the casualty investigation once search efforts have concluded.

The second capsizing occurred Monday at a position about 80 nautical miles southwest of Gunsan, in the same general region as the first casualty. Unlike the first, this incident was inside the Korean side of the mutually-agreed Chinese-Korean fisheries boundary line, according to Chosun. Two crewmembers were rescued by good Samaritans, but nine more remain missing, and a large-scale search is under way with four vessels participating.

According to the AP, the Korea Coast Guard believes that the second capsized vessel may have been engaged in fishing for hairtail and croaker at the time of the capsizing.