SEOUL, April 04, 2014 (AFP) - South Korean coastguard units searched Friday for survivors of a cargo ship with 16 North Korean crew that sank with the loss of at least two lives off the South's southern coast.
A coastguard spokesman told AFP that the bodies of two North Korean sailors had been recovered and three other crew had been rescued, with 11 still missing.
The 43,000-tonne Mongolian-flagged ship sent out a distress call shortly after 1:00am (1400 GMT Thursday) from international waters off South Korea's southern coast.
The boat, with a cargo of steel products, was en-route from North Korea to China.
A dozen coastguard vessels, backed by helicopters and civilian cargo ships, were taking part in the search for survivors, the coastguard spokesman said.
The three rescued sailors were taken to a hospital on the southern resort island of Jeju.
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