SEOUL: A South Korean oil tanker has sunk after an explosion on board, leaving three crew members dead and eight missing, the South Korean coastguard said.
The 4,191-tonne ship sank near Jawol island, about 32 kilometres (19.8 miles) southwest of the western port of Incheon where the vessel had unloaded its cargo, a coastguard spokesman told AFP.
Authorities were investigating the cause of the explosion but the coastguard said it was unlikely to be the result of any hostile action by North Korea.
"The explosion took place far below the sea border with North Korea. We see very little possibility (of attacks by the North)," the spokesman told AFP.
The dead crew members included one South Korean and two Myanmar citizens.
Five other South Koreans and three Myanmar crew are missing but five others have been rescued, the spokesman said, adding rescue operations are still underway.
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