Ship, 5 crew members missing near Dokdo

(ATTN: UPDATES with additional details)
SEOUL, Oct. 18 (Yonhap) -- A South Korean ship with five crew members went
missing Sunday near the Dokdo islets in the East Sea, the Coast Guard said.
A search and rescue mission was launched early in the day after the waste
disposal ship was reported missing around 1:37 a.m., according to maritime
authorities.
The 118-ton ship had been working to collect disposed fishing nets in the area
since sailing from its home port in Pohang on Monday. It was on its way to
Ulleung Island to take shelter due to worsening weather conditions.
"We launched the search and rescue mission after receiving a distress call from
the ship shortly after midnight," an official at the Coast Guard said.
A thin belt of oil has been spotted in the area where the ship was last heard
from, the Coast Guard added, noting the ship might have sunk.
bdk@yna.co.kr
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