Jeju: Two fishing boats carrying 15 crew members ran aground Saturday in the waters off the southern resort island of Jeju, resulting in one death and leaving three others missing, according to the Coast Guard. The incident occurred when a 32-ton fishing boat with seven people and a 29-ton vessel with eight crew members became stranded on a rock at 9:24 a.m.

According to Yonhap News Agency, by noon, 12 crew members had been rescued. The captain of the 32-ton boat was found in cardiac arrest during the rescue and was transported to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. Among the rescued, one crew member was also taken to the hospital after losing consciousness, though no serious health issues have been reported. The remaining 10 rescued individuals are reportedly suffering from minor hypothermia.

During the rescue operations, one Coast Guard official sustained an injury to his hand. The authorities are continuing search operations for the three missing crew members.

The captains of both vessels are South Korean nationals, while the crew members include foreigners from Vietnam and Indonesia. Earlier, acting President Choi Sang-mok instructed officials to use all available resources for the rescue operations, emphasizing the need to ensure the safety of rescue personnel amid bad weather conditions at sea.