A South Korean captain who went missing following a fishing boat capsizing off the coast of Jeju has finally been found dead. The Coast Guard suspects the accident occurred after the boat was hit by rogue waves while a larger-than-expected catch of mackerel had been caught. Reporter Hyun Kyung-ju reports.

[Report]

A Coast Guard rescue worker jumps into the water surrounding the overturned vessel.

They push aside the nets around the boat and thoroughly search the submerged cabin.

Following an underwater search by the Coast Guard, the missing South Korean captain in his 50s was found in the cabin ceiling.

The man, who was in cardiac arrest when found, was airlifted to a hospital but passed away.

The Coast Guard attributes the accident to a larger-than-expected catch and rogue waves.

They explain that as a massive influx of mackerel got caught on the boat, which was intended to catch yellowtail, nets piled up like mountains on the deck and in the fishing gear storage. [Rescue vessel official/Voice altered: "Because we were loaded with too many mackerel, the front of the boat was submerged, and the weather was rocking..."]

It is presumed that the vessel tilted sharply to the right after encountering rogue waves while moving to enter port with its stability compromised.

[Go Myeong-cheol/Head of Search and Rescue Division, Jeju Regional Coast Guard: "If the net catches more fish than expected, the weight of the net will inevitably be quite heavy. It is presumed that loading the net on the deck would pose a risk to the vessel's stability."]

The crew members stated that the boat suddenly tilted while they were resting, and they fell into the sea without even having time to put on life jackets.

The Coast Guard investigation revealed that the vessel failed to report a change in the number of passengers before departure, resulting in 11 people on board, which is more than the reported 8. Although the number of passengers did not exceed the vessel's capacity of 12, the rescued Vietnamese crew member was confirmed to be an illegal immigrant and was handed over to the Jeju Immigration Office.

The Coast Guard is continuing search operations to locate the remaining missing foreign nationals.

This is Hyun Kyung-ju for KBS News.

Cameraman: Ko Jin-hyun

▣ View original KBS article: http://news.kbs.co.kr/news/view.do?nc...

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