Foreign
SOUTH Korea on Wednesday said that it has rescued nine people from a drifting ship in waters off the country’s southern resort island of Jeju.
The ship, which lost communication after a Vietnamese sailor occupied the wheelhouse.
Authorities had launched the search operation to locate the 72-ton fishing boat earlier in the day, after the ship-owner reported that it had lost contact with the vessel, according to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.
Ten people, including five South Korean nationals, were aboard the ship.
The ministry said a Vietnamese sailor who occupied the wheelhouse was threatening the captain with a weapon when its maritime officials boarded the ship at around 12.30 p.m.
The sailor was handed over to the Coast Guard for further investigation.
“We were able to avoid any casualties as the officials were dispatched to the scene promptly and took control of the situation,’’ the ministry said in a statement. (Yonhap/NAN)
– Mar. 24, 2021 @ 11:41 GMT
Tags: Authorities rescue 9 sailors from drifting ship
