The South Korean SAR Team Is Still Looking For 3 Indonesian Crew Members Of The Myeong Minho Fishing Boat In Jeju Waters

JAKARTA - South Korea's search and rescue team (SAR) on Sunday found another body of a fishing boat accident victim in Jeju Island waters. The SAR team continues the search for five other crew members, including three Indonesian crew members (ABK).

Based on a press statement from the Indonesian Embassy (KBRI) in Seoul, currently a total of two bodies have been found - only one was found first on December 31, 2020.

"The two are suspected of being crew members of South Korean citizens. Police are still making identification by examining the victim's fingerprints and DNA samples," said the Indonesian Embassy in Seoul as quoted by Antara, Sunday, January 3.

The fishing boat "32 Myeongminho" had a sea accident near Jeju Island, South Korea, on the evening of December 29. There were 7 crew members who were declared missing, including Indonesian citizens with the initials IHP, S, and DIS.

As of today, SAR operations are carried out more intensively, said the Indonesian Embassy in Seoul, with a wider sweeping range in Jeju waters.

Meanwhile, the team focused its search on a number of points, including the last location of the ship, the location where the bodies were found, and the location where the ship's debris was found.

"The South Korean government deployed a large additional SAR fleet, with 24 ships, 7 helicopters and 4 drones to search SAR locations in the sea and air," wrote the Indonesian Embassy.

"From the personnel side, 84 divers and 935 officers from the Korean Coast Guard (KCG), police, fire department and the South Korean Navy were deployed," the Indonesian Embassy added.

The rescue team from the Indonesian Embassy in Seoul continues to monitor the situation on the ground, coordinating with the KCG and the joint SAR Team, the Indonesian embassy said.

Previously, the Indonesian embassy team had been allowed to see the items found by the search party for identification.