Six Vietnamese crew members aboard a Korean fishing ship have remained nowhere to be found since the vessel sank and lost contact with the mainland last month.

The fishing boat Dongkyeong 201, which carried a Korean captain along with six Vietnamese crew members, was discovered by rescuers off Japan on Thursday night, the Vietnam News Agency reported.

The ship lost contact with the fisheries information control center in Pohang City, North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea at around 9:30 pm on February 29, after leaving Chuksan Port.

Pohang coast guards dispatched six ships and one plane to search for the fishing vessel in an area 28km east of Wonpo Port, where marine traffic controllers last received its signal, upon being notified by the center.

The Dongkyeong 201 completely overturned when it was found in Japanese waters some 96 kilometers east of Homigot Port in Pohang, inside which the body of a deceased victim was spotted. The identity of the victim has not been revealed thus far.

However, the Pohang coast guards assumed the victim could possibly be the 47-year-old captain from South Korea.

Rescuers will continue to focus on inspecting the fishing boat as well as scouting the nearby sea area for the remaining fishers, the coast guards added.

According to a report submitted by local coast guards to Vietnamese labor management officials in South Korea, the six crew members were sent to the East Asian country for work by two Vietnamese firms, namely the International Manpower Supply and Trade Company and the Tourist, Trade and Labour Export JSC.

The Embassy of Vietnam in South Korea have been working with local authorities to stay updated on the search and rescue mission, as well as requesting the two Vietnamese companies to prepare necessary support for the families of the six.

The missing Vietnamese include Tran Xuan Long, 29, Nguyen Luong Quynh, 29, Trinh Dinh Cuong, 35, Tran Van Dai, 40, Nguyen Tien Hung, 34, and Le Nhat Vu, 40, according to the Vietnam News Agency.  

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