South Korean vessel with 3 Pinoys sinks in Antarctic Ocean

South Korean vessel with 3 Pinoys sinks in Antarctic Ocean

A 614-ton South Korean fishing boat with 42 sailors aboard sank Monday in the Antarctic Ocean some 1,400 miles (2,250 kilometers) south of New Zealand, leaving five dead, 17 missing, and twenty sailors rescued.

The South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement there were eight South Koreans, eight Chinese, 11 Indonesians, 11 Vietnamese, three Filipinos and one Russian on board the sunken vessel.

The New Zealand search and rescue coordination center said the 20 survivors and five dead fishermen were on board the South Korean fishing vessel No. 707 Hongjin. The dead included two Indonesians, two South Koreans and one Vietnamese.

The center further said that survival times in the water in the area would likely be about 10 minutes without lifejackets or immersion suits.

High waves in the area were hampering the rescue operation according to the South Korean media.