Two crew members of a fishing boat died and 12 were missing Friday after the vessel sank off South Korea’s Jeju island, the coast guard said.

Fifteen crew were rescued, including two who were taken to the hospital unconscious and later pronounced dead, it said.

“The rescue is still ongoing and we are doing our best,” the coast guard told AFP.

The Coast Guard said it received a distress call at 4:33 am Friday (1933 GMT Thursday) indicating that the 129-ton fishing boat was sinking.

Crew members told the Coast Guard the vessel suddenly capsized and sank while catch was being transferred to a transport ship.

At the time, two crew were inside the boat while the rest were on the deck.

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The incident occurred approximately 24 kilometres (15 miles) off Biyang, a tiny island located just off the coast of Jeju island.

The fishing boat had a registered crew of 27, including 16 South Koreans and 11 foreigners, two of whom are among the missing, the coast guard told local media.

President Yoon Suk Yeol ordered “all available resources and personnel” to be mobilized to aid in the rescue, his office said.

The Coast Guard said it had deployed 18 vessels and five aircraft to the scene for search-and-rescue operations.

The navy also deployed six additional vessels, a patrol aircraft and a helicopter.

AFP