Crew of 11 Evacuated from Sinking General Cargo Ship

A crew of 11 sailors was evacuated from the Korean general cargo vessel Keum Yang 6, which was experiencing flooding in rough weather near Jeju Island.

The Korean Coast Guard received a distress call from the flooded 3,600 dwt ship on Thursday at approximately 9:55 p.m. local time.

Both a helicopter and a security vessel were sent and located the vessel about 61 km southwest of Seigwipo port. It was heavily tilted and in danger of sinking.

Despite facing strong winds and waves as high as 5 meters, the coast guard successfully rescued the crew by 1:30 a.m. No injuries were reported.

The Busan-registered ship, owned by Keum Yang Shipping, was carrying iron plates from Gwangyang in South Korea to China. Authorities are conducting an investigation to determine the exact cause of the incident.