A fishing vessel that caught fire off Jeju Island has ultimately sunk. The Coast Guard has launched a search for two missing crew members, concentrating on the accident area.
According to the Jeju Coast Guard, at about 5:44 p.m. on the 14th, the Hanlim-registered fishing vessel A (29 tons; 10 people on board) caught fire and sank roughly 90 km (about 56 miles) southwest of Chagwido in Hangyeong-myeon, Jeju City.
Authorities have not located two missing Koreans, identified as A and B, both in their 50s.
The Coast Guard said it had succeeded in extinguishing the fire at around 4:53 p.m., then sent rescue teams to inspect the crew quarters in the stern, but severe damage prevented them from entering the cabin.
The Coast Guard launched a night search from 6 p.m. that day through 9 a.m. the next morning, concentrating on the accident area. The operation was to include six Coast Guard vessels and two government ships.
Investigators say extinguishing the blaze was difficult because the vessel’s FRP (fiber-reinforced plastic) construction burns easily and is hard to put out.
The fire raced through the vessel: about 80% of the hull burned within roughly 50 minutes after the first report of the blaze around 10 a.m.
Heat and smoke persisted, and responders took about seven hours to extinguish the fire. The Coast Guard, related agencies and private vessels mobilized 11 ships and three helicopters to fight the blaze.
While extinguishing the fire, the Coast Guard also prioritized protecting survivors. Port entry records showed the vessel had four Koreans and six Indonesians on board.
Eyewitnesses said A and B, both in their 50s, were inside the vessel during the incident and could not get out.
Nearby boats rescued eight crew members (two Koreans and six Indonesians). Four Indonesians who suffered symptoms from smoke inhalation were airlifted to a hospital in Jeju City.
The remaining four crew members were scheduled to arrive at Jeju Port that night aboard a Coast Guard patrol boat. Authorities said they showed no major health problems.
