AT least 13 people were killed and two others were missing after a South Korean fishing boat collided with a refuelling vessel and capsized.

An official from the Korea Coast Guard said seven people were rescued. The missing included the boat’s captain.

The spokesman said 22 people were aboard the 9.8-ton chartered fishing boat, the Seonchang-1 when it overturned after colliding with the 336-ton refuelling vessel in waters off the port city of Incheon. The refuelling vessel did not suffer any damage.

President Moon Jae-in ordered the authorities to deploy as many helicopters and other aircraft as possible to search for the missing, his office said.

The coast guard official said 19 coast guard and naval vessels and five aircraft, including helicopters, were dispatched to the site.

The crew of the refuelling vessel were being questioned in an attempt to The South Korean news agency Yonhap said the collision happened nine minutes after the boat sailed, possibly as the two vessels passed each other in a narrow waterway under a bridge.

A coast guard spokesman said: “There’s no specific problem related to weather conditions, sailing reports or other preparations.”

Cold water temperatures and a strong current may also have contributed to the number of deaths, the official said.