A South Korean fishing vessel with 60 people aboard sank yesterday in the Bering Sea, leaving at least one crew member dead and dozens missing, officials said.
The 1,753-tonne Oryong 501 operated by South Korea’s Sajo Industries went down in waters off Russia’s far east at 2:20 pm (0520 GMT), according to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.
The trawler was carrying one Russian inspector, 11 South Koreans, 35 Indonesians and 13 Philippine crew members, a ministry spokeswoman said.
One Korean sailor was confirmed dead while seven people including the Russian inspector and six foreign crew members were rescued, she said.
“The ship tilted slowly after taking in water, forcing crew members to abandon it,” the spokeswoman said.
“Several vessels from nearby waters were involved in search and rescue efforts, but the operation has been hampered by bad weather.”
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