Chinese fishing boat capsizes off southwestern S. Korea

SEOUL -- A Chinese fishing boat on Monday capsized off Eocheong island near Gusan, about 180 km south of South Korea's capital Seoul, with nine crew members believed to be aboard, according to Yonhap news agency.

It was reported at around 8:53 am local time (2353 GMT Sunday) that the 99-ton vessel was overturned in the waters, some 150 km southwest of the island.

The South Korean coast guard dispatched patrol ships and helicopters to the scene for search and rescue operations.