By Xinhua
Seoul : At least 14 sailors are missing as a ship carrying chemicals sank off South Korea’s south coast early Tuesday, coastguard officials said.
The Eastern Bright, carrying 2,000 tonnes of nitric acid, sent an SOS call early Tuesday morning before disappearing in the sea off Yeosu port, 450 km south of Seoul.
The coast guard and the South Korean Navy have sent nine vessels and one helicopter to the spot for search and rescue operation.
A total of 15 sailors, including 12 South Koreans and three Myanmarese were onboard the freighter, the coastguard said, adding that only one Myanmarese sailor was rescued.
Rescue efforts were being hampered by high waves, according to police, who ruled out the possibility of a chemical spill.
Early this month, South Korea experienced its worst ever oil spill when a tanker leaked some 10,500 tonnes of oil onto the waters off the west coast after colliding with a barge.