17 missing after S. Korean boat sinks in frigid waters

WELLINGTON, New Zealand -- New Zealand on Tuesday called off the search for 17 fishermen missing for more than 30 hours in icy Antarctic waters after their South Korean fishing boat sank.

New Zealand's rescue coordination center said 20 survivors and five dead crewmen had been recovered from the water after the No. 1 Insung went down Monday some 1,400 miles south of New Zealand, about halfway to Antarctica.

Spokesman Dave Wilson said it was "exceedingly unlikely" that any of the 17 missing men could have survived as the boat sank quickly and the crew had to abandon ship without putting on survival gear.

He said with sea temperatures near freezing anyone who fell into such waters typically would be dead in 10 minutes without special suits or life jackets, though five nearby fishing boats launched a frantic search in hopes that some may have made it into a life raft.

Three South Korean vessels continued searching throughout the night for any survivors of the unexplained sinking without success, the center said.

Given that around 30 hours had elapsed since the vessel sank, "there was no reasonable expectation that any further survivors would be found," Wilson said in a statement.

It was unclear why the vessel sank in light winds and a relatively mild 3-foot swell.

Wilson said the 20 survivors were onboard the South Korean vessel No. 707 Hong-jin and reported to be in a comfortable condition.

South Korea's Foreign Ministry said the boat had 42 people on board: eight South Koreans, eight Chinese, 11 Indonesians, 11 Vietnamese, three Filipinos and one Russian.

The confirmed dead included two Indonesians, two South Koreans and one Vietnamese, a ministry official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of office rules.

The Chinese Embassy in South Korea said four Chinese sailors were missing while four others had been rescued, China's official Xinhua News Agency reported.

It is the second Korean fishing vessel this year to sink in ocean waters near New Zealand. In August, six men died and 45 were rescued after their boat, Oyang 70, sank in calm waters 440 miles east of South Island.

A report into the sinking has yet to be released.