The sinking of ''Dolgorae'', a South Korean fishing vessel occurred on 5 September 2015 off

Chuja Island The Chuja Islands () are a group of 42 islands in the Jeju Strait, about halfway between Jejudo and the southern coast of Jeollanamdo. Only four islands are inhabited: Sangchuja ("Upper Chuja"), which is connected by a bridge to Hachuja ("Lower ...

, near Jeju Island. At least ten people died and eight are missing. Three people were rescued. The vessel capsized in heavy seas and those passengers and crew not washed away in the waves clung to the hull of the vessel for over ten hours. Only three were rescued.

Sinking

The vessel was reportedly transporting 21 people off the southwest coast of South Korea near

. During the night on 6 September, high waves swamped the vessel and the

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

ordered those aboard ''Dolgorae'' to abandon ship. The vessel capsized almost immediately with some passengers being swept away by the waves. The rest clung to the capsized hull of ''Dolgorae'', with only three still holding on until they were rescued ten hours after the vessel capsized.

Rescue and aftermath

At 20:40, a call was placed with the

South Korean Coast Guard The Korean Coast Guard (KCG; ko, 해양경찰청; Hanja: , Revised Romanization: Haeyang-gyeongchal-cheong, literally ''Maritime Police Agency'') is a South Korean law enforcement sub-agency responsible for maritime safety and control off th ...

Chuja Safety Center by another fishing boat after ''Dolgorae'' had not answered the second vessel's hails. The Coast Guard dispatched three patrol vessels. Meanwhile, the Safety Center was calling the listed passengers. Four were deemed not to have taken the boat, while three unregistered passengers had taken their place. Three people were rescued from the capsized hull of ''Dolgorae''. Ten people were found dead and eight remained missing. More than 50

Republic of Korea Navy The Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN; ko, 대한민국 해군), also known as the ROK Navy or South Korean Navy, is the naval warfare service branch of the South Korean armed forces, responsible for naval and amphibious operations. The ROK Navy in ...

and South Korean Coast Guard vessels, as well as a

Lynx A lynx is a type of wild cat. Lynx may also refer to: Astronomy * Lynx (constellation) * Lynx (Chinese astronomy) * Lynx X-ray Observatory, a NASA-funded mission concept for a next-generation X-ray space observatory Places Canada * Lynx, Ontar ...

helicopter and a P-3C maritime patrol plane were involved in the search for the eight missing. Of the three unregistered passengers, two were found dead and one was rescued. An investigation was commenced and among the findings was that the passengers and crew were not wearing their lifejackets.

References

Dolgorae Dolgorae History of Jeju Province 2015 disasters in South Korea September 2015 events in South Korea {{Shipwreck-stub, Dolgorae