At least 13 die after South Korean fishing boat hits fuel tanker

Coast Guard says seven people rescued and two missing after collision

South Korean coastguard members search for missing persons after a fishing boat crashed with a fuel tanker at sea near the western port city of Incheon. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images
South Korean coastguard members search for missing persons after a fishing boat crashed with a fuel tanker at sea near the western port city of Incheon. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

At least 13 people died and two others were missing after a South Korean fishing boat collided with a refuelling vessel and capsized, the coast guard said.

An official from the Korea Coast Guard said seven people were rescued and the two missing included the boat’s captain.

He said 22 people were aboard the 9.8-tonne fishing boat that capsized after colliding with the 336-ton refuelling vessel in waters off the port city of Incheon.

The refueling vessel did not suffer damage.

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President Moon Jae-in ordered authorities to deploy as many helicopters and other aircraft as possible to search for the missing, according to his office.

The coast guard official said 19 coast guard and naval vessels and five aircraft including helicopters were dispatched to the site.

Authorities were questioning the crew of the refuelling vessel to determine the cause of the collision.–AP