10 Filipinos still missing
MANILA – Three Filipinos were among those rescued when their South Korean fishing vessel sank on Monday in Bering Sea in Russia.
“Out of the 13, three were already rescued and they are reportedly in very good condition and the 10, they remain missing,” said Charge d’Affaires Melchor Lalunio Jr.
The South Korean vessel Oriong-501 which was operated by Sajo Industries had on board 1 Russian inspector, 11 South Koreans, 13 Filipinos and 35 Indonesians.
Reports stated that the ship sank on Monday after it was hit by huge waves due to inclement weather.
“Right now, the search and rescue operations are ongoing,” said Lalunio.
He added that other ships, including Russian authorities, good Samaritans and US Coast Guard are helping in the search to locate the other missing crew members.
“There is no reason to believe that as of this time, that the missing crew members are already dead,” he said.
Lalunia said they have the names of the Filipino seafarers but declined to reveal their identities.
“We know who they are. They are not undocumented Filipinos. They are documented workers. The first thing that has to be done first is to inform their next of kin,” he said.
Meanwhile, Reuters reported more than 50 people remain missing a day after a South Korean fishing vessel sank in the Bering Sea off the coast of Russia's far eastern Chukotka region as severe weather conditions hampered a rescue operation, officials said on Tuesday.
Aside from the three Filipinos, a Russian official, a South Korean crew member, and three Indonesians - have been pulled from the water although the South Korean died of hypothermia, officials in Seoul said.
U.S. rescue helicopters joined the search operation for several hours on Tuesday but failed to make headway, South Korean Prime Minister Chung Hong-won told a meeting of government officials.
The South Korean government and Sajo Industries, the vessel's operator, said there were 60 people on board, including 11 South Koreans, 13 Filipinos and 35 Indonesians.
Artur Rets, the head of the maritime rescue service in Russia's far eastern port of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, had said on Monday that records showed 62 people on board.
"When the fish were being hauled in, the vessel was hit by a wave," Rets said, adding that the South Korean vessel, the Oriong-501, had sunk.
The 36-year-old vessel was one of a large fleet of ships operated by Sajo Industries, which owns the world's largest number of tuna fishing vessels, according to its Website.
Sajo, founded in 1971 and initially focused on trawling and tuna fishing, has expanded into food and meat processing and runs a golf resort.
The company's shares fell 3.5 percent on Tuesday in their highest volume in nearly four years. They had climbed to a 17-month high the day before, after the company reported operating profit more than doubled to 44.6 billion won ($40.2 million) in the first three quarters of this year from a year earlier. - © Provided by ABS-CBNnews.com l With Reuters
0 comments: