Officials in Ansan said Tuesday that seven members of a South Korean mission to the Antarctic have been rescued, but one is dead after their boats reportedly overturned off the coast of Antarctica.

A day after they went missing, one South Korean scientist was confirmed dead on Monday and four survivors had safely returned to their base after being rescued by a Russian team. The body of the deceased, identified as Jeon Jae-kyu, will be transported to Chile.

Officials said that three other members of the mission were saved by a Chilean rescue team on Tuesday, and that one of them is in critical condition.

Earlier Monday, four scientists, three engineers and one medic based in the South Shetland Islands were reported missing. The first group of three lost contact with basecamp Sunday after seeing off colleagues going back to South Korea via Chile.

The second group went missing early Monday while searching for the first group.

Base officials said the rubber boats used by the groups might have capsized due to bad weather.

Responding to its first-ever such accident in Antarctica, the South Korean government said Tuesday that it will strengthen safety measures by introducing improved transportation vehicles, such as icebreakers, global positioning systems and sonar equipment.