An official from the Jeju City Government said that two people were killed and 12 still remain missing after a boat capsized in the waters near South Korea's Jeju Island on Friday.

Officials said that they had lost track of a boat leaving the port of Busan, South Korea in the early morning hours.

Officials confirmed that foreigners were among the 27 passengers on board. Two South Koreans died, they added.

Yonhap reported that the South Korean Coast Guard received a distress signal at 4:33 am (1933 GMT Thursday morning) from a vessel located 24 kilometers (15 miles) off the coast Jeju.

In a press release, the office of President Yoon Suk Yeol said that he had ordered that all resources be used for a search-and-rescue operation. (Reporting and editing by Hyunsu Yem)

(source: Reuters)