Chinese fishing boat capsizes off southwest S.Korea, 6 people missing

SEOUL - A Chinese fishing boat has capsized in the waters off southwest South Korea, leaving six Chinese citizens missing, the Consulate General of China in Gwangju told Xinhua Wednesday.

Nine Chinese citizens have been rescued, according to the consulate general.

Zhang Chenggang, consul general of the Consulate General of China in Gwangju, told Xinhua that Chinese coast guard vessels have been dispatched to join search and rescue operation at the scene, and an investigation into the cause of the accident is underway.

According to Yonhap news agency, the 239-ton Chinese vessel tipped over at about 00:05 am local time (1505 GMT Tuesday).

The South Korean coast guard sent four patrol boats and two aircraft to search for the missing people, said Yonhap.