Search for six missing tugboat crew members enters third day amid strong winds and high waves

The search for six crew members missing after a tugboat capsized and sank off Busan entered its third day, but strong winds and high waves continued to obstruct the operation. The missing crew members include five South Koreans and one Indonesian national.

The Busan Coast Guard said it conducted a second overnight search for the crew of the 286-ton TNS Catcher. Six vessels weighing at least 1,000 tons swept an area measuring about 50 kilometers by 31 kilometers, but found neither the missing people nor personal effects.

A gale warning remained in effect in waters off Busan. Because of the rough conditions, vessels weighing less than 1,000 tons could not be deployed. Aircraft and underwater searches also could not proceed because of the weather.

Search operations continued with coastal surveillance equipment operated by the military in the Busan and Ulsan areas. Weather authorities forecast strong winds of 10 to 18 meters per second and waves 1.5 to 4 meters high in the southeastern South Sea and southern waters of the East Sea for the time being.