10 Chinese missing in fishing boat collision off S. Korea

SEOUL- A Chinese fishing boat collided with an unidentified cargo ship Thursday night in seas near South Korea's southern resort island of Jeju, leaving 10 Chinese fishermen missing, the Yonhap news agency reported on Friday.

The 138-ton fishing boat sank about 160 km south of an uninhabited island near Jeju at around 8 pm Thursday after the cargo ship crashed into the flank of the fishing boat.

Among 13 crew members aboard the sunken boat, three have been saved by other fishing boats sailing near the site, but 10 others, including a captain and a chief engineer, have been unaccounted for.

The cargo ship reportedly left the site right after the collision.

Chinese maritime rescue authorities reported the incident to South Korea, which sent two patrol ships to search the missing crewmen. China dispatched two rescue ships to the area Thursday for the search operation, and five Chinese fishing boats were also helping the rescue efforts.

According to a saved Chinese fisherman, the fishing boat was dropping anchor in bad weather conditions when the cargo ship crashed into the right side of the boat.

The fishing boat was carrying 10 tons of fish and 30,000 liters of oil.