At least six people were missing after a tugboat capsized off the southeastern coast of South Korea on Wednesday, officials said.
The TNS Catcher, a 286-tonne tugboat, capsized about 9 kilometres southeast of Oryukdo with eight crew members aboard.
The crew comprised six South Korean nationals and two Indonesian nationals. An Indonesian crew member was rescued by a nearby merchant vessel 20 minutes after the accident. He was not in life-threatening condition.
A second Korean crew member was found unconscious inside the capsized tugboat and transported to a hospital aboard a Coast Guard rescue vessel but later died.
The Coast Guard deployed 13 patrol and rescue vessels, aircraft and the Korea Coast Guard Special Rescue Unit. It also requested assistance from the Navy, other government vessels and private boats.
The Coast Guard said waves of 1 to 1.5 metres and strong currents were complicating the operation. Northwesterly winds were blowing at 4 to 6 metres per second.
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung directed authorities to “mobilise all available resources for the search and rescue efforts.”
It said a cargo ship passing through the area rescued one crew member, while the second was found unconscious.
At least eight crew members were believed to be aboard the vessel when it capsized.
