Strong Winds Hamper Sixth Night of Search for Six Missing Sailors From Sunken Tugboat

The sixth straight night of searching for six crew members missing from the sunken tugboat TNS Catcher ended without results, as strong winds continued to hamper operations off Busan.

The 286-ton tugboat overturned and sank off the coast of Busan. The missing crew members include five South Koreans and one Indonesian national. Despite the continuation of the overnight search, authorities found no additional sailors or personal effects.

According to the Busan Coast Guard, seven vessels took part in an intensive search on the eighth: four coast guard ships, two military vessels and one civilian vessel. They covered a zone 31 kilometers wide and 70 kilometers long in waters off Busan and Ulsan.

Gale warnings had been lifted in the Busan waters at 7 p.m. the previous day and in the Ulsan waters at midnight, allowing medium-sized vessels of at least 500 tons to join the operation. But conditions did not improve significantly. The larger ships could operate only in coastal areas, and authorities could not conduct aerial or underwater searches. Coast guard stations and civilian maritime disaster rescue teams searched the shoreline and coastal waters, while the military also deployed surveillance equipment.