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Death toll of Indonesians in sunken S.Korean fishing ship rises to 12

05 December 2014 19:03 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Indonesian authority said Friday that its nationals perished in the capsized South Korean fishing boat have climbed to 12 as further efforts to seek the remaining crewmen from several countries continues, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

According to Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi and her South Korean counterpart Yun Byung-se on Friday, rescuer teams have discovered a total of 15 Indonesian citizens on the capsized boat, among whom 12 were found dead, and the remaining three were alive and are now in good condition.

The efforts to seek the remaining missing crewmen are still underway at the moment, the officials said. "No time limitation has been set to find the remaining crewmen as of now. South Korean authority would send more rescuer teams including two patrol planes and one special rescue vessel,"a statement released by Indonesian Foreign Affairs Ministry said, citing the communication results of the two ministers.

The searching efforts were conducted by four South Korean vessels, six Russian vessels, one coast guard vessel and one plane from the United States, it added.

All of the victims found on the capsized fishing boat would be transported to Busan seaport, South Korea, on Dec. 7 for further identification process, the statement said.

The identification process would be conducted by matching the DNA data that consisted of ante mortem and post mortem materials.

Owner of the ill-fated vessel, Sajoo industry, has pledged commitment to finance the whole process and help return the victims to their families, the statement said.

Thirty-five Indonesian were aboard the South Korean vessel Oryong 501 that capsized in Russian waters of the Bering Sea on Monday. Eleven South Koreans, 13 Filipinos and one Russian inspector were also on board the fishing ship.