Monday 12 January 2015

Bodies of 6 S. Koreans from fishing tragedy in Russia arrive home


The bodies of six South Koreans who died from a fishing boat sinking in Russian waters last month arrived in South Korea on Sunday, the safety ministry said.

They are among the 60 who were fishing for pollack in the western Bering Sea on Dec. 1, when the 1,753-ton Oryong 501 sank after the crewmen failed to remove excess water from the ship during a storm, authorities said.

Only seven -- one Russian inspector, three Filipino and three Indonesian crewmen -- survived, with 27 others confirmed found and 26 others remaining unaccounted for.

A 5,000-ton Coast Guard patrol boat carrying the bodies arrived Sunday afternoon in Busan, a southeastern port city that the South Koreans had left in July.

The bodies were moved to a nearby morgue, but family members refused to take them, demanding apologies from the government and the operator of the ill-fated fishing boat as well as proper measures to search for those still missing.

Late last month, six Filipino and Indonesian survivors of the boat tragedy arrived in Busan, along with the bodies of 21 foreign victims.

South Korea, the United States and Russia had conducted the search for the missing crewmen, but no major progress was made due to inclement weather.

The South Korean government officially terminated the search last week, sparking protests from the bereaved families, who demand that all missing South Koreans be retrieved before they can be reunited.

Sunday 11 January 2015

http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/national/2015/01/11/43/0302000000AEN20150111001151315F.html

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