3 Filipinos rescued from sunken Korean vessel; 10 missing

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – The Philippines is working to obtain more information about the 13 Filipinos on board a South Korean fishing vessel that sank off the coast of Russia. Only 3 Filipinos have been rescued so far. 

Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Spokesman Charles Jose said that the Philippine Embassy in Moscow reported about the sinking of Oriong-501 along the coast of Russia’s far eastern region of Chukotka at 2:20 pm local time on Monday, December 1.

“The embassy has instructed our Consul General in Vladivostok to coordinate with local authorities on the rescue operations. Our embassy in Seoul, South Korea has also been requested to get in touch with vessel owner, Sajo Industries, to obtain more information on the identities of the Filipino crewmembers,” Jose said on Tuesday, December 2. 

The DFA said that 3 Filipinos were among 8 people rescued. A Russian inspector also survived. 

The South Korean fisheries ministry confirmed that at least one South Korean died in the incident. 

“Bad weather is hampering rescue efforts,” Jose said.

The South Korean fisheries ministry said that 60 people were on board, including the 13 Filipinos, one Russian, 11 South Koreans, and 35 Indonesians.

Wire reports said that the vessel sank amid high waves in the freezing waters of the Bering Sea. 

“When the fish were being hauled in, the vessel was hit by a wave,” Artur Rets, head of the maritime rescue service in Russia’s far eastern port of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, said in a Reuters report.

Rets said that the survivors were “fine,” and will be taken to South Korea once the weather improves.

“In the likeliest scenario, they will be picked up by a Korean vessel that is out fishing nearby,” Rets said.

The South Korean foreign ministry said it asked Russian officials to work quickly to rescue the other crewmembers.

The Russian RIA Novosti news agency reported that the boat sent no distress signal before the incident

52 still missing

A spokesman for Sajo Industries told Agence France-Presse that no one was found in overnight rescue efforts, and 52 people are still missing. 

The spokesman added that 4 ships, including two associated with Sajo, have been combing the site but bad weather and rough seas hampered the search.

“We still don’t really know how many may have managed to take to the life boats,” he said.

The 1,753-ton Oriong-501 is a 36-year-old vessel.

Kim Kang-ho from Sajo Industries said it left for the Bering Sea from a port in Busan, South Korea, on July 10.

Kim added that the vessel was among 5 South Korean-owned ships currently fishing in the Bering Sea to catch pollock, a winter delicacy in South Korea. – Rappler.com