Five Vietnamese missing in fishing boat fire off Jeju Island

March 04, 2020 - 10:32
Five Vietnamese sailors went missing after a fishing boat caught fire in waters off Jeju Island of the Republic of Korea on Wednesday.

 

The fishing boat caught fire in the early morning of Wednesday. — Photo Yonhap News

JEJU ISLAND — Five Vietnamese sailors are missing after a fishing boat caught fire in waters off Jeju Island of the Republic of Korea on Wednesday.

The 29-tonne ship burst into flames at about 3.18am (local time) in waters about 74km southeast of Udo Island near Jeju, Yonhap News reported.

Eight crew members were on board, including three South Koreans and five Vietnamese.

Two South Koreans have been saved.

The rescue team is searching for the other six.

The five missing Vietnamese have been identified as Biện Văn H, 45 years old; Đỗ S, 23 years old; Phạm Văn N, 25 years old; Phan Tâm S, 30 and Nguyễn Văn C, 24. 

According to Yonhap, adverse weather conditions have hampered efforts to put out the fire and find the crew, a Coast Guard officer said, adding that they are exploring various possibilities as to their fate. — VNS

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