2 dead, 4 missing in S Korean fishing boat fire

A South Korean fishing boat, the Munseong 103, is on fire in waters about five nautical miles northeast of South Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo, Dec 30, 2014. [Photo/IC]

SEOUL -- Two sailors were confirmed dead, with four missing, in a South Korean fishing boat fire accident that occurred on Tuesday morning, local media reported.

The Munseong 103 caught fire in waters about five nautical miles northeast of South Korea's easternmost islets of Dokdo, called Takeshima in Japan, at about 5:13 a.m. local time (2013 GMT) , Yonhap News Agency reported citing the Ministry of Public Safety and Security.

Aboard the 29-ton vessel were eight South Koreans and two Vietnamese.

Six were rescued from the ship, but two of them died later. Two South Koreans and two Vietnamese went missing.

Search operations are still under way. A rescue ship was sent to the site, and six naval vessels and four airplanes were dispatched to help search the fishermen.

The Munseong 103, which departed from the country's southern resort island of Jeju on Nov. 16, was en route to Hupo, the country's southeastern city while catching blowfish.

The blaze is estimated to have started from the engine room, but the exact cause is still under investigation.