Four killed after fishing boat capsizes in S. Korea

Four people were killed and the remaining 14 crew members on board suffered minor injuries as their fishing boat capsized off South Korea's southwestern coast, coast guard officials said Sunday, Yonhap reports. 

The incident took place at 5:57 a.m. on Sunday as the boat overturned in seas off the west coast town of Buan, 204 kilometers south of Seoul, after colliding with a tugboat, officials said.

The four people were found unconscious when they were rescued and the remaining 14 people who were also saved sustained minor injuries, officials said.

Among them, five are said to have been discharged from the hospital after receiving treatment.

What caused the incident is still unclear, but the incident was initially reported to have been caused by a collision. However, local fishermen said the capsized boat could have struck the tugboat's towline, which was pulling a barge.

They said the boat was likely to have failed to see the barge coming in from behind and mistaken the tugboat for a fishing boat.

The exact cause of the incident was under investigation, the coast guard said.