◀ Anchor ▶
Early this morning, a cargo ship from Hong Kong sank in the high seas southeast of Seogwipo, Jeju.
So far, 10 out of 22 Chinese and Myanmar sailors have gone missing, and the Coast Guard is conducting a rescue operation.
Let’s connect reporters and find out the current situation.
Reporter Kim Chan-nyeon!
◀ Reporter ▶
Yes, it was around 1:47 am today when the distress signal was received by the Jin Tian, a 6,000 ton timber carrier shipped from Hong Kong.
At the time of the accident, the Jin Tian was sailing in open waters 148 kilometers southeast of Seogwipo.
The Jeju Coast Guard immediately dispatched a 1,500-ton patrol vessel, but at 2:41 a.m., the captain, speaking on a satellite phone, said he would give up and abandon the ship, then cut off the communication off.
Then, at about 3:07 in the morning, when the ship sank, an automatically transmitted distress signal came in.
So far, 12 out of 22 foreign crew members have been rescued, but 11 of them are known to be unconscious.
The Jeju Coast Guard speedboat also found three life jackets and two lifeboats in the area of the accident, but there were no people on board.
At the time of the accident, 14 Chinese and 8 Myanmarese were on board the Jintian, and there were no Korean crew members.
A storm warning has been raised in the area of the crash, but high waves are rising, and the Coast Guard is conducting a search operation along with other cargo ships that were sailing, Japanese Coast Guard ships and aircraft.
This is MBC News Kim Chan-nyeon.
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