A Russian fishing vessel was hit by a fire while in South Korean waters, leaving four crew members unaccounted for, according to the agency reporting on the incident. A separate detail mentions a shipboard issue near Ulsan as the cause of concern for responders on scene.
Initial reports place the event in the port city of Ulsan, with twenty-five people aboard the vessel at the moment the blaze broke out. South Korean rescue teams were able to bring twenty-one crew members to safety, with two sustaining minor injuries. Four sailors remained missing as rescue efforts continued through the night.
The blaze reportedly began at 18:43 Moscow time, while the vessel, loaded with one hundred tons of fish, was en route to Russia. Search operations for the missing crew members continued across the wider sea area as daylight faded, with authorities coordinating vessels and aircraft to cover the sea lanes and likely search zones.
Earlier, a fishing craft had returned to the coast of South Korea after the incident, signaling the need for ongoing vigilance among coastal operations and maritime safety services in busy fishing grounds far from home ports.
Earlier in the year, an incident near Debichi Island involved a 24-ton fishing boat carrying twelve people that capsized roughly 16.6 kilometers west of the uninhabited isle. Three crew members were rescued by a passing merchant ship, while the search for the remaining nine persons continued, underscoring the risks faced by small fishing crews and the importance of swift rescue protocols in open waters.