Sightseeing Boat Burns, Sinks Off S. Korea; 25 Die

A sightseeing boat loaded with tourists caught fire and sank Tuesday off the southeast coast of South Korea, leaving 25 people dead and 13 missing.

Many of the 48 people rescued were burned when an overheated engine caught fire and engulfed the 24-ton Kukdong-ho in flames, news reports said.

The boat, carrying 86 people, sank off Koje Island, 200 miles southeast of Seoul, in mid-afternoon after efforts to activate fire extinguishers failed, the reports said. All aboard the boat, which sank about 150 yards from the island’s shore, were Koreans, reports said. Some passengers jumped into the sea to escape the flames, but women and elderly people who could not swim remained aboard and drowned when the boat sank.

25 Bodies Recovered

Officials said 25 bodies were recovered and taken to several hospitals in a nearby port and 48 people, including 30 injured and burned in the fire, were rescued, the Korean Broadcasting System said.

It was South Korea’s worst civilian maritime accident since last July, when 21 people were killed off the southwest coast when a fishing boat capsized.