Search for 12 missing persons from sinking of Geumseong-ho continues as investigation picks up speed

[Anchor]

The search for the twelve missing persons from the sinking of the Geumseong-ho off the coast of Jeju has continued for the second day.

Unfortunately, there has been no news of any discoveries of the missing persons yet.

The Coast Guard is investigating whether the unusually high catch volume contributed to the accident.

Ahn Seo-yeon reports.

[Report]

Family members of the missing persons are putting on life jackets.

They painfully board the Coast Guard vessel while holding onto the railing.

Exhausted from waiting, they decide to take a boat to the accident site themselves.

With no news of rescues, the surviving crew members are also filled with despair.

The captain of the fishing vessel, who desperately tried to save his colleagues and even returned to the accident site after being rescued, has not let go of hope.

[Geumseong-ho Captain: "I haven't done anything. Anyone would have done the same. They have to come up! They have to go home! I believe they will come up."]

Divers and others conducted difficult underwater searches all day, but unfortunately, they did not find any of the missing persons.

Using remotely operated underwater robots, they were only able to confirm that the hull is resting upright on the seabed.

The Coast Guard will continue the overnight search and plans to deploy deep-sea divers and crane barges tomorrow (Nov. 10).

The investigation into the cause of the accident by the Coast Guard is also picking up speed.

In particular, they are paying attention to the testimonies of surviving crew members who stated that at the time of the accident, there was high catch volume, that they caught what they normally would in three or four trips all at once.

[Kim Dae-cheol/Jeju Coast Guard Investigation Division Chief: "There are testimonies indicating that the catch volume was higher than usual, so we are looking into how this excessive catch volume may have contributed to the loss of stability of the Geumseong-ho."]

The Coast Guard also plans to examine structural defects after raising the hull.

This is KBS News Ahn Seo-yeon.