3 dead after fishing vessel capsizes off Gunsan, South Korea

South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reports that three people are confirmed dead after a fishing vessel capsized near the South Korean port city of Gunsan on Monday, September 16.

The Korea Coast Guard deployed boats and helicopters to an area 7.5 kilometres off the coast to render assistance shortly after receiving an alert about the incident at around 07:36 local time on Monday.

Coast guard personnel were able to pull all eight of the fishing vessel's crew out of the water. Tragically, however, the vessel's 71-year-old South Korean captain, the 53-year-old South Korean chief engineer, and an Indonesian sailor in his 40s were pronounced deceased shortly after they were brought to hospital.

The five surviving crewmembers, which include three Vietnamese and two Indonesian nationals, are in stable condition.

The actual cause of the capsizing remains unknown, though coast guard officials said they are also considering the possibility that a collision with another vessel was to blame.

Some eyewitnesses have told the coast guard that an oil tanker had passed near the fishing vessel at the time of the capsizing. However, there have been no statements from any individuals who claim to have witnessed the alleged collision.