614-ton fishing boat sinks in Antarctic Ocean, 22 feared dead

A South Korean fishing vessel sank in the Antarctic Ocean's frigid waters Monday, with 22 sailors feared killed in the open sea where vessels trawl for deepwater fish, officials said.

Twenty survivors were rescued shortly after the 614-ton vessel went down some 1,400 miles (2,250 kilometers) south of New Zealand about halfway to Antarctica, South Korea's Foreign Ministry and coast guard said, according to Washington Post.

South Korea has asked New Zealand to help with rescue efforts, the ministry said.

The 42 from the vessel included sailors and fishermen from South Korea, China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Russia and Vietnam, the foreign ministry said, Bloomberg reports.