Capsized off Cheonlipo
On the evening of December 4, a 9.77 ton fishing vessel (name not disclosed) capsized in the Yellow Sea some 2.5 kilometers northwest of Cheonlipo, Taean, South Korea. The gillnet fishing vessel with 7 crew onboard was involved in catching oysters, flounder and clams when the vessel capsized. The Coast Guard was alerted to the incident and dispatched six patrol ships, one coastal rescue boat, and a Coast Guard rescue team to the search the area. Three of the crew would be later rescued during the search and rescue. The survivors suffered from hypothermia and were taken ashore and later taken to hospital.
Later that night, the Coast Guard would find the body of another crew member along the shoreline near Cheonlipo. The crew member had suffered cardiac arrest and could not be resuscitated. The search for the 3 remaining crew members was hampered from strong winds and waves reaching 3 meters high. The Coast Guard continued the search for several days. By December 6, the bodies of all 3 missing crew members would be recovered. The Coast Guard has launched an investigation into the incident.
