A search to find those missing from the tugboat TNS Catcher, which capsized and sank off Busan, has been underway for the 12th day.
According to the Korea Coast Guard on the 13th, 30 vessels—including 20 Korea Coast Guard ships, six military vessels, and four government vessels—and six Korea Coast Guard and military aircraft were deployed for daytime searches. Rescue authorities said they will concentrate on a wide area measuring 25 kilometers east-west and 252 kilometers north-south, reflecting drift predictions for the missing.
In case the missing drift toward shore, 80 personnel from the Busan, Ulsan, Pohang, and Uljin Maritime Police Stations, along with 128 military personnel, are also conducting coastal searches.
Rescue authorities carried out a nighttime search from late the previous night until early that morning using 19 vessels, but did not find additional missing persons.
The TNS Catcher capsized on the 2nd while conducting a towing operation at sea about 9 kilometers east of Oryukdo. Eight people were on board, including six Koreans and two Indonesians. One person has been rescued and two have died. Five remain missing, including four Koreans and one Indonesian.