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A Navy sailor who went missing from a frigate near the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the East Sea has been found dead after a search operation lasting approximately 21 hours and 30 minutes.
The Navy stated, "At 5:58 a.m. today (July 13), we discovered and recovered the body of the Navy sailor who went missing from a patrol ship in the East Sea yesterday, at a location 52 km east of Geojin-eup, Goseong-gun, in the East Sea."
The Navy, in coordination with the Coast Guard, had been conducting a search for the missing person since 8:30 a.m. yesterday, deploying multiple vessels and aircraft.
The Navy explained that a high-speed patrol boat participating in the search operation discovered the missing sailor at 5:58 a.m. today, and subsequently recovered the body at 6:43 a.m. using a rigid-hull inflatable boat (RIB) from a frigate (FFG).
The recovered body was transferred to another frigate and is scheduled to arrive at the Navy's East Sea base later this morning.
The missing sailor (a private first class) was serving on a Navy frigate conducting patrol duties approximately 50 km east of Geojin-eup. The disappearance was identified when the sailor failed to report for duty at 8:00 a.m. yesterday.
It was reported that the sailor was not wearing a life jacket when the body was discovered.
The frigate involved in the incident returned to the Navy's East Sea base at 8:00 a.m. today, and the military plans to conduct an investigation into the sailor's movements based on an analysis of CCTV footage from inside the ship.
The Navy stated, "Civilian police and military investigative agencies will conduct a joint investigation into the exact circumstances of the incident and the cause of death."
(Photo: Provided by the Navy, Yonhap News)
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