Eight still missing in capsized boat

Eight passengers were still missing as of Monday afternoon from a fishing boat that capsized off the country’s south coast over the weekend, killing at least 10, as debate continued over whether the rescue mission was slipshod.

A 9.77-ton fishing boat named Dolgorae carrying 21 anglers and crew capsized near Chuja Island, north of Jejudo Island on late Saturday. Only three were saved by a passing boat 11 hours after the incident.

A probe is underway, but high waves are suspected to be the cause, the authorities said.

The maritime police said the initial response to the accident was delayed largely because of a false report by a man who was supposed to be on board but was not.

The police said the first distress call was received by the Chuja Safety Center at 8:40 p.m. by another fishing boat, which safely completed its route. The time was about an hour after the Dolgorae is presumed to have capsized. The captain of the other boat reported that the captain of Dolgorae did not respond to his call.

The safety center immediately called all the passengers based on the passenger list. While no one onboard responded, one man whose information was withheld replied to a call saying the boat was sailing well, the police said.

Later, however, it was found that the man had lied, concerned that he might get punished for not boarding the boat, although he had put his name on the list, the police said.

Worried about the passengers’ safety, the man later told the truth to the safety center, after he discovered that no one was responding to his calls.

Right after the Korea Coast Guard received the report from the man around 9 p.m., it dispatched three patrol ships to an area where the capsized boat was likely to have drifted. The Coast Guard estimated the probable site with its “drift prediction system,” which projects possible locations of the drifting ship based on calculations of wind and water flow. The ships searched the east side of where the boat’s last positioning signal was detected.

The boat, however, was found in the southwestern area 11 hours after it capsized.

“The system didn’t seem to reflect real-time weather updates,” the Jeju Coast Guard officials said.

The drift prediction system, launched in 2009 with an injection of over 14 billion won ($11.6 million), was introduced to the Korea Coast Guard in 2012.

Poor management of the passenger list was also deemed to have aggravated the rescue efforts.

It took hours for the authorities to confirm the exact number of passengers, since four of the 22 names on the list were found not to have taken the vessel. Three unregistered passengers were found to have boarded the boat in their stead. Of the three, one survived and two were found dead.

Authorities later confirmed that a total of 21 passengers were on board.

While commercial fishing boats usually submit the passenger list before sailing, there are no regulations to force cross-checking of the listed people and the actual passengers.

Lax safety measures onboard were also dubbed a reason for the casualties, as many of the passengers were reportedly not wearing life jackets that were soaked from rain.

The Coast Guard began an underwater search Monday as part of the efforts to find the missing.

Relatives of the missing also urged the government to clearly investigate the accident.

The main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy condemned the authorities, calling it a smaller version of the “Sewol” tragedy, referring to the sinking of a large ferry that claimed the lives of 295 last year. They vowed to grill those responsible during the parliamentary audit session.

The ruling Saenuri Party pledged to review the fishing boat safety laws and come up with countermeasures to better ensure the safety of fishermen and prevent similar accidents. It also vowed to pass a fishing law that has been pending in the National Assembly. The law would require all boat passengers to wear life jackets while fishing.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Public Safety and Security vowed to take stern action against groundless rumors over the accident.

Rumors were spreading online that the Coast Guard deliberately ignored the rescue requests of the survivors at sea.

Anyone spreading falsehoods can be sentenced to up to five years in jail or fined up to 15 million won.

(rene@heraldcorp.com)