Five sailors including two Chinese men were killed Thursday after a Coast Guard boat carrying them in seas off the southern island of Jeju of Korea capsized during a rescue operation for a Malaysian- flagged cargo vessel. A Korean coast guard was also severely injured in the accident, according to Xinhua.
The Coast Guard boat, which capsized in waters about 27.7 kilometers off the west coast of Jeju Island at 12:26pm, was transferring 11 sailors from the ill-fated Malaysian freighter to a rescue ship when high waves turned it over.
Three of the dead sailors were from the Philippines, while the two others were Chinese, the Coast Guard said. The Chinese Consulate-General in Jeju has confirmed that two Chinese crew members were killed, including the 24-year-old man surnamed Chen and the 41-year-old man surnamed Wang.
The boat was on a rescue mission, with other accompanying vessels, for the Malaysian freighter heading to Singapore, which had sought the Coast Guard's because it began taking on water.
Six South Korean Coast Guard officers were also aboard the boat. One of the officers lost and later regained consciousness and is receiving treatment at a Jeju hospital, the Coast Guard said.
The freighter sank at around 3:50pm, according to the Coast Guard, the freighter is designed to carry only about 10 people.
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