World News
Tugboat sinks off South Korea's southeastern coast, leaving one dead and six missing
A search operation involving the coast guard and navy is underway near Busan after an eight-person vessel overturned.
The short version
- A 286-ton tugboat carrying eight crew members capsized and sank off the coast of Busan on Wednesday.
- One South Korean crew member died, one Indonesian crew member was rescued, and six remain missing.
- South Korea's coast guard and navy have deployed ships and aircraft to search for the missing crew.
- The official cause of the capsizing has not yet been determined.
Key facts
- The 286-ton tugboat had eight crew members on board when it departed to tow a merchant vessel off Busan.[ABC News · Associated Press]
- A South Korean crew member was retrieved unconscious by rescuers and later pronounced dead at a hospital.[ABC News · Associated Press]
- An Indonesian crew member was rescued by the merchant vessel following the capsize.[ABC News · Associated Press]
- The vessel sank around 3:30 p.m. local time, roughly two hours after it first capsized.[ABC News · Associated Press]
- President Lee Jae Myung instructed emergency agencies to mobilize all available assets for search and rescue efforts.[ABC News · Associated Press]
What remains uncertain
- The cause of the vessel's capsizing remains unknown.[ABC News · Associated Press]
- The status and location of the six missing crew members are unconfirmed as search efforts continue.[ABC News · Associated Press]
Sources
- Tugboat sinks off South Korea’s southern coast, leaving 1 dead and 6 missingAssociated Press
- Tugboat sinks off South Korea's southern coast, leaving 1 dead and 6 missingABC News - International