One dead, 52 missing in S. Korean fishing ship sinking in Bering Sea

A South Korean fishing ship sank in the Bering Sea Monday, with at least one person dead and 52 missing, Yonhap News Agency reported citing the fisheries ministry.

The 1,753-ton fishing vessel, owned by the South Korean deep- sea fishery company Sajo Industries, sank in the western part of the Bering Sea near Russia at about 0520 GMT, the fisheries and oceans ministry was quoted as saying.

The crew on board the ship, which was catching pollack in the waters, included 11 South Koreans, 35 Indonesians, 13 Filipinos and one Russian inspector, according to the ministry.

One South Korean sailor has been confirmed dead while 52 others are still missing. Six sailors, except South Koreans, and the Russian inspector have been rescued. A total of 60 people were on board the sunken vessel.

Rescuers are searching for the missing, but weather and water conditions are hampering the search operations, the ministry was quoted as saying.

The 35-year-old vessel has been believed to begin listing after bad weather caused seawater to flood the storage parts of the ship.

The ship departed from the country's southern port city of Busan on July 10 for the Bering Sea to catch pollack.

The foreign ministry has reportedly asked Russian officials to conduct the rescue operations as quickly as possible.