Tugboat sinks off Busan coast; one dead, six crew missing
A tugboat sank off Busan, South Korea, killing one crew member and leaving six missing. Rescue operations are underway.
A 286-tonne tugboat capsized and sank in waters off South Korea's southeastern coast on Wednesday, resulting in one fatality and leaving six crew members unaccounted for, according to the coast guard.
The vessel, carrying eight crew members, had departed in the morning to assist a merchant ship near the port city of Busan. The merchant vessel managed to rescue one Indonesian crew member from the water. A South Korean crew member was found unconscious by coast guard rescuers and was transported to a mainland hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
Following the incident, the coast guard and navy deployed ships, aircraft, and additional assets to search for the six missing personnel. President Lee Jae Myung has directed authorities to use all available resources in the rescue effort.
The tugboat is reported to have sunk at approximately 3:30 p.m. local time, about two hours after the capsizing was first reported. The cause of the accident has not yet been determined, and investigations are expected to follow once the search and rescue phase concludes.