MOSCOW, March 9 (RIA Novosti) – Nine fishermen froze to death after jumping off a fishing boat that caught fire off South Korea's west coast, state media reported on Saturday citing police.

The 20-ton vessel caught fire early on Saturday off the port city of Gunsan, forcing the crew members to plunge into freezing sea waters to avoid flames and smoke, Yonhap news agency said.

Out of 11 crew members, only one has been rescued, and a search for another one is ongoing.

The cause of the fire is being investigated. The surviving fisherman told police he saw smoke coming out of the boat’s engine room before the fire spread to the gas tanks.