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Five Chinese fishermen rescued from capsized boat

January 27, 2016

A Coast Guard rescuer tries to enter a capsized Chinese fishing boat off South Korea’s southwestern coast on Jan. 27, 2016, to save crew members trapped inside. The vessel overturned hile it was being towed by another Chinese fishing boat. There were 10 fishermen aboard the boat. (Photo courtesy of West Sea Fisheries Management Service) (Yonhap)

SHINAN, South Korea (Yonhap) — Five Chinese fishermen have been rescued from their boat that capsized in the waters off South Korea’s southwestern coast Wednesday, while one died and four others went missing, the coast guard said.

Four fishermen were picked up by another nearby Chinese fishing boat about 85 kilometers northwest of Gageo Island.

The coast guard said it rescued a fifth fisherman around 1:10 p.m. but he died.

The coast guard also picked up a sixth fisherman from the engine room around 2:45 p.m. and he is not in a life-threatening condition, though he complained of hypothermia.

The coast guard dispatched a patrol plane and three vessels to the accident site to find the missing fishermen.

The accident occurred around 10:35 a.m. when the doomed boat started suddenly tilting before capsizing while it was being towed by the second Chinese fishing boat. The boat had previously experienced a malfunction.