[Yonhap Photo]
Rescuers retrieved two bodies, two days after a recreational fishing boat with 22 people board collided with a small tanker and capsized near an island off the west coast, coastguard authorities said.
A two-day rescue operation by dozens of coastguard and naval ships ended at 12:05 pm (0305 GMT) Tuesday when a helicopter found the body of a 57-year-old man about 2.2 kilometers southwest of the accident site.
Nearly three hours ago, a firefighter discovered the body of the fishing boat's 70-year-old captain at the foreshore of Yeongheung Island, coastguard officials said.
The discovery of two bodies raised the death toll to 15. Seven people were rescued on Sunday when the 9.77-ton fishing boat, Seonchang-1, collided with a 336-ton tanker near the island.
Three had survived for more than two hours inside the "air pocket" of their capsized boat, using a smartphone to send a distress signal. They attributed their luck to an ebb tide in inshore tidal areas that expanded their survival space for breathing.
The captain and a sailor of the tanker have been held for questioning on charges of professional negligence.
reporter
Lim Chang-won
cwlim34@ajunews.com
