In a statement released on Friday, Judha Nugraha, Director of Protection of Indonesian Citizens and Legal Entities at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, identified the two missing Indonesians by their initials: YM and SJU.
Nugraha stated that the 129-ton sardine fishing vessel, Geumseongsusan 135, reportedly sank 24 kilometers northwest of Biyang Island, Jeju, around 4:33 a.m. local time (GMT+9) on Friday.
The vessel carried 27 crew members, comprising 16 South Korean citizens and 11 Indonesian citizens.
An initial report from the South Korean Coast Guard (KCG) indicated that the ship sank while transferring its catch to a transport ship.
“When the incident occurred, all crew members were working on the deck of the ship,” Nugraha added.
Four South Korean and nine Indonesian crew members were reported to have survived the incident and were taken to the Seobu Public Health Center in Jeju for treatment.
Meanwhile, two South Korean crew members were reported dead, and 15 others were initially unaccounted for. As of the latest update, 12 crew members—10 South Koreans and two Indonesians—remain missing.
South Korean authorities are conducting an intensive search operation that will last for up to 72 hours.
The chargé d'affaires of the Indonesian embassy in Seoul is scheduled to meet with the Indonesian survivors in Jeju on Friday evening.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has directed relevant institutions, including the KCG and the ministries of defense and maritime affairs, to deploy all available resources and personnel in the search and rescue efforts, according to his spokesperson, Jeong Hye-jeon.
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Translator: Kuntum Khaira Riswan, Yashinta Difa
Editor: Anton Santoso
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