5 more bodies recovered; toll in South Korean fishing ship sinking reaches 25

Seoul, Dec 5: The toll in Monday's sinking of a South Korean fishing ship rose to 25 after five more bodies were recovered, the foreign ministry said Friday.

The bodies, of two Indonesians and three that were unidentified, were recovered in the waters near the sunken Oryong 501, which went down in the western part of the Bering Sea near Russia Monday, Xinhua reported.

As of Friday, 25 people have been confirmed dead, including six South Koreans, 11 Indonesians, three Filipinos, and five unidentified Southeast Asians.

Seven people were rescued Monday, but 28 others remain missing.

The crew on board the 1,753-ton vessel, which was catching pollack, included 11 South Koreans, 35 Indonesians, 13 Filipinos, and a Russian inspector.

The toll is expected to rise as the waters are known for freezing sea water and stormy weather that are hampering rescue operations.

The 36-year-old vessel has been believed to begin listing after bad weather caused seawater to flood the storage parts of it. The Ministry of People's Safety, the country's control tower of disasters, launched an investigation into the maritime accident.

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

IANS