Seoul, Jan. 25 (BNA): A Hong Kong-registered cargo ship carrying 22 crew members sank off the southern island of Jeju today, 14 of whom have been rescued, while the search for the others is underway, the Coast Guard said. He said.
Fourteen Chinese and eight crew members from Myanmar were on board the Jin Tian, which weighs 6,551 tons, carrying the timber, when it sent out a distress signal at 3:07 am in international waters 148.2 kilometers southeast of Seogwipo City in Jeju, according to the report. It was reported by the British newspaper The Guardian. Yonhap Coast Guard Agency reported.
The ship was completely submerged when the Coast Guard personnel arrived on the scene.
Other ships sailing before and other rescue workers rescued 14 crew members, officials said, but nine were in an unconscious state.
Officials said those rescued would likely be taken to Nagasaki, Japan.
The Coast Guard is conducting a joint search and rescue operation with their Japanese counterparts for eight more with five patrol vessels and four aircraft deployed from both sides.
The Coast Guard said the ship appeared to have gone down when it sent a distress signal via an emergency location radio beacon, an emergency locator system.
It was found that the ship sent the first distress signal via the digital selective communication system at 1:45 am. Officials said they got off the plane.
FKN