One sailor was confirmed dead, and 11 others unaccounted for, as a South Korean fishing boat caught fire on Tuesday in waters west of the country's southern resort island of Jeju, APA reports citing Xinhua.
The 29-ton fishing vessel caught fire in waters some 76 km west of a small island, which is located near Jeju Island. It was reported to police at about 7:05 a.m. local time.
A 60-year-old South Korean sailor was found in waters some 7.4 km south of the accident scene about three hours later, and airlifted to a hospital in the island.
The crew member was confirmed dead at the hospital as he had no signs of breathing and pulse while suffering a severe burn.
The other 11 sailors, including five South Koreans and six Vietnamese, were still unaccounted for.