South Korean rescue teams are searching for nine crew members after a Chinese fishing vessel capsized and sank off the country’s southwestern coast on Monday.
South Korea’s Coast Guard reported that two crew members were rescued by a nearby commercial ship after the incident, which occurred about 150 kilometers (93 miles) southwest of the port city of Gunsan.
Four patrol vessels, two helicopters, and a plane have been deployed to the area for the ongoing search operation. So far, rescuers have spotted a layer of fuel believed to have leaked from the sunken vessel, but no other debris or objects linked to the boat have been found.
Kim Yeong-cheol, a Coast Guard official in Gunsan, said the vessel was likely fishing for croaker and hairtail.
The Chinese consulate general in Gwangju confirmed that 11 people were on board and that two have been rescued, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
The accident occurred a day after another Chinese fishing boat capsized in international waters roughly 80 kilometers (50 miles) from South Korea’s southwestern Gageo Island, killing at least two crew members. Six others were rescued, while authorities continued searching for three missing crew members from that incident on Monday.
