Busan Oryukdo Capsizing: 1 Dead, 6 Missing... Lee Orders "Mobilize All Available Resources for Rescue"

One of Eight Crew Members, a Foreign National, Survives
Accident Vessel Sinks Within Two Hours

On September 2, off the coast of Busan, a tugboat capsized, leaving one crew member dead and six missing. President Lee Jaemyung, after being briefed about the accident, ordered all available resources to be mobilized to rescue those on board.

On the afternoon of the 2nd, a tugboat capsized off the coast of Busan, resulting in one death and six crew members missing, with authorities conducting a rescue operation. The tugboat, carrying eight people, capsized while towing a merchant ship near the Oryukdo area. Currently, one person has died and one has been rescued. Yonhap News

According to the Busan Coast Guard, at approximately 1:29 p.m. that day, a 286-ton tugboat, referred to as Vessel A, capsized around 9 kilometers east of Oryukdo, Busan.

The tugboat was carrying a total of eight crew members: six Koreans and two Indonesians.

Of them, one Indonesian man in his 50s was rescued by a passing merchant vessel, Vessel B, about 20 minutes after the accident occurred in the waters near the scene.

Upon receiving the emergency report, the Coast Guard was dispatched to the accident site and found a Korean crew member, a man in his 50s, unconscious inside Vessel A. He was transferred onto an inshore rescue boat and transported to Millak Port.

He was then taken to a nearby hospital by the 119 emergency rescue team, who were on standby onshore, but was ultimately pronounced dead.

The remaining six crew members are still missing, and the Coast Guard is continuing search operations.

The capsizing of Vessel A was reported to the Busan Port Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) by Vessel B.

Vessel B is reported to be a Liberia-registered container ship weighing 66,332 tons.

The Busan Coast Guard raised the local rescue headquarters’ response to Level 3, deploying 13 vessels including patrol ships and inshore rescue boats, as well as the aviation unit and the Central Maritime Special Rescue Team to the scene.

The Navy also dispatched the Gwangyang warship, Chamsuri-class patrol boats, a destroyer, a salvage ship, a minesweeper, two aircraft, government vessels, and the Maritime Disaster Rescue Unit.

Additionally, Busan City activated its Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters. The Busan Coast Guard is continuing the search for the missing crew members and has launched an investigation into the circumstances of the accident.

According to Kang Yoojeong, chief presidential spokesperson, President Lee was briefed on the accident that day and issued an order to "mobilize all available resources to rescue lives."

President Lee also repeatedly called for thorough efforts to manage the aftermath of the accident.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.