[Anchor]
A tugboat has capsized and sunk off the coast of Oryukdo in Busan. Among the eight crew members on board, one has died and six remain missing. The Coast Guard has launched overnight search operations.
Choi Han-sol from KNN reports.
[Reporter]
Only the bow of a vessel remains visible as it lies overturned next to a large container ship.
A crew member is precariously standing on top of the hull, waiting for rescue.
[Coast Guard Rescue Worker: One person is visible right now, one person. They are on top of the vessel's bottom.]
At around 1:30 PM, a 286-ton tugboat capsized in waters 9 kilometers east of Oryukdo, Busan.
Two hours after the accident occurred, the vessel sank to a depth of 87 meters.
The accident happened after the tugboat departed from the Port of Busan and headed to the accident site to tow a Liberian-flagged container ship.
There were eight crew members on board, including six South Koreans and two Indonesian nationals.
Two crew members have been rescued so far. While one Indonesian crew member was rescued safely, a South Korean crew member in his 40s, identified as A, ultimately died.
[Rescued Crew Member (Indonesian): I was in charge of cooking, and while cooking (when the ship capsized), I quickly escaped.]
While the Coast Guard has mobilized all available resources, including 13 rescue vessels and a special rescue team, operations are reportedly facing difficulties due to high waves in the waters near Oryukdo.
The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and the Navy have also deployed available resources to handle the accident.
[Ahn Chul-ho / Head of the Guard and Rescue Division, Busan Coast Guard: Although underwater searches and conditions are difficult, we will continue to actively search through the night by mobilizing all available resources in cooperation with related agencies.]
The Coast Guard and other authorities plan to continue search operations through the night while investigating the exact cause of the accident.
(Video by Oh Won-seok and Jeon Jae-hyun / KNN, Footage provided by Busan Coast Guard)
Choi Han-sol, KNN
※
Copying, redistribution, and unauthorized use in AI training are strictly prohibited.