2 killed, 3 missing after Chinese fishing boat capsizes off South Korea

Two people were killed and three others went missing on Sunday after a Chinese fishing boat capsized in waters off Gageo Island, about 420 kilometers (km) southwest of South Korea's capital Seoul.

It was reported around 6:50 a.m. local time that the 98-tonne ship was overturned in international waters, some 81 km away from the island, according to the South Korean coast guard.

The Chinese consulate general in Gwangju confirmed the report to Xinhua.

Among the 11 crew members aboard the ill-fated vessel, six were rescued by another Chinese fishing boat sailing in nearby waters. The rescued had no major health problems.

The coast guard, which arrived at the scene, rescued two more sailors in cardiac arrest, but they died. The remaining three were still unaccounted for.

The South Korean coast guard was conducting search operations with a Chinese coast guard vessel to find the missing people around the waters of the accident.

(Cover: A Chinese fishing boat capsizes in the waters off Gageo Island, about 420 kilometers southwest of Seoul, South Korea, November 9, 2025. /CMG)