South Korea has dispatched a patrol ship to carry out search and rescue operation for six South Koreans that went missing in waters west of Taiwan after their vessel sent a distress call, Seoul‘s foreign ministry said Friday.

The 3,000-ton patrol ship dispatched by the Coast Guard will begin the search operation immediately after arriving in Taiwan at around 11 a.m. Saturday, an official at the ministry said.

Along with the patrol ship, a diving support ship was also dispatched to conduct a search and rescue operation for the missing, and is expected to arrive at around 10 p.m. Monday, the official said.

On Thursday, the Taiwanese maritime authorities received a distress call from the 322-ton Kyoto 1 and informed the South Korean government of the incident, according to the ministry. All six crew members of the missing vessel are South Korean nationals.

The Kyoto 1 was on its way to the Batam port of Indonesia from Busan, South Korea, taking the Kyoto 2 tender ship in tow, which has been found in the waters.

Two bodies were earlier retrieved by Taiwanese authorities, but their identities have yet to be confirmed, according to the official.

The ministry has formed an emergency response team to handle the incident. (Yonhap)