Death Toll from Sunken South Korean Fishing Ship Rises to 25
Baku, December 5, AZERTAC
Death toll in a South Korean fishing ship sinking accident in the Bering Sea rose to 25 people as five more bodies were recovered, Seoul's foreign ministry said Friday.
The bodies, including two Indonesians and unidentified three others, were recovered in waters near the sunken South Korean fishing ship Oryong 501, which sank in the western part of the Bering Sea near Russia on Monday.
As of Friday, 25 people have been confirmed dead, including six South Koreans, 11 Indonesians, three Filipinos and five South East Asians unidentified. Seven was rescued on Monday, but 28 others remained missing, Xinhua reported.
The crew on board the 1,753-ton vessel, which was catching pollack, included 11 South Koreans, 35 Indonesians, 13 Filipinos and one Russian inspector.
The death toll is expected to increase further as the waters are famous for freezing sea water and stormy weather, which are hampering rescue operations.
The 36-year-old vessel has been believed to begin listing after bad weather caused seawater to flood the storage parts of it. The Ministry of People's Safety, the country's control tower of disasters, launched an investigation into the maritime accident.
The ship left the country's southern port city of Busan on July 10 for the Bering Sea.
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