The No. 1 Insung went down Monday some 2,200 kilometers south of New Zealand, about halfway to Antarctica.
Officials said on Tuesday no one of the seventeen fishermen survived after their South Korean boat sank near Antarctica.
New Zealand\\\'s rescue coordination center, which was running a search by private vessels in the remote region, said it had suspended the operation indefinitely.
The No. 1 Insung went down Monday some 2,200 kilometers south of New Zealand, about halfway to Antarctica. It sank quickly — prompting speculation it struck an iceberg — and the crew of 42 had to abandon ship without donning survival gear.
Nearby ships quickly pulled 20 survivors from the sea, along with the bodies of five dead crewmen, leaving 17 unaccounted for.
Rescue coordination spokesman Dave Wilson said Tuesday it was "exceedingly unlikely" that any of the 17 missing could have survived — with sea temperatures near freezing anyone who fell in would be dead in 10 minutes without special suits or lifejackets.
"Unfortunately the Southern Ocean is an extremely unforgiving environment," Wilson said, using an alternative name for the Antarctic Ocean.
Three South Korean and two New Zealand fishing boats were called into the search by the Rescue Coordination Center on Monday. The New Zealand vessels were released on Monday evening. The three other boats continued to search overnight, but were released on Tuesday.
New Zealand\\\'s rescue coordination center, which was running a search by private vessels in the remote region, said it had suspended the operation indefinitely.
The No. 1 Insung went down Monday some 2,200 kilometers south of New Zealand, about halfway to Antarctica. It sank quickly — prompting speculation it struck an iceberg — and the crew of 42 had to abandon ship without donning survival gear.
Nearby ships quickly pulled 20 survivors from the sea, along with the bodies of five dead crewmen, leaving 17 unaccounted for.
Rescue coordination spokesman Dave Wilson said Tuesday it was "exceedingly unlikely" that any of the 17 missing could have survived — with sea temperatures near freezing anyone who fell in would be dead in 10 minutes without special suits or lifejackets.
"Unfortunately the Southern Ocean is an extremely unforgiving environment," Wilson said, using an alternative name for the Antarctic Ocean.
Three South Korean and two New Zealand fishing boats were called into the search by the Rescue Coordination Center on Monday. The New Zealand vessels were released on Monday evening. The three other boats continued to search overnight, but were released on Tuesday.
