S. Korea's maritime accidents up 11.9 pct in 2017

SEOUL, April 3 (Yonhap) -- The rising popularity of fishing and marine sports caused the number of maritime accidents to rise 11.9 percent in 2017 compared with a year ago, South Korea's oceans ministry said Tuesday.

A total of 2,582 maritime accidents were reported in the one-year period, with nearly 70 percent involving fishing vessels, according to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.

The ministry said the increasing number of anglers and people who enjoy various water sports and hobbies is pushing up overall numbers.

It said the number of registered recreational boats rose 17.3 percent on-year to 19,494 last year, while those who used fishing boats also hiked 20.9 percent to 4.14 million over the period, it noted.

A total of 145 people died or went missing from the accidents in 2017, up 22.9 percent from a year earlier, with the deadly tourist boat incident contributing to the spike.

A chartered fishing boat capsized in waters near the western port city of Incheon in December, killing 15 people.

ejkim@yna.co.kr
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