SEOUL: Rescue workers were searching by sea and air for nine people missing after a fishing boat capsized in waters off South Korea's southwestern coast, reports AFP.
The 24-tonne vessel overturned in waters off the coast of Sinan county late Saturday night, according to the interior ministry.
More than a dozen vessels and three aircraft from the coastguard and the navy had been deployed to search for the missing people, it said.
Most of the crew are believed to have left the capsized boat, Yonhap news agency reported, citing Interior Minister Lee Sang-min.
President Yoon Suk-yeol urged maximum efforts for the rescue operation, ordering the mobilisation of all available resources to widen the search area, his office said.