Russian fishing boat catches fire off S.Korea, 4 missing

SEOUL: A Russian fishing boat carrying 25 people caught fire off the South Korean coastal city of Ulsan on Friday, leaving four of them missing, Coast Guard officials said.

The 769-tonne vessel was carrying 100 tonnes of seafood in waters off Ulsan, about 300 km southeast of Seoul, toward Russia when the fire broke out at 12.43 a.m., the officials said.

All crew members were Russian, Yonhap News Agency reported.

After receiving a distress call, the Coast Guard sent rescue ships to the scene, but four crew members went missing.

The other 21 were rescued, 19 of them without any injuries. Two sustained minor injuries.

To support the night-time rescue efforts, South Korea's military said it dispatched an Aegis-equipped destroyer, a patrol vessel and a transport aircraft to drop flares.

With aid from Navy ships and a maritime patrol plane, authorities are continuing efforts to search for the four missing people and put out the fire.