Three people are dead and another three missing after a South Korean fishing boat with a crew of 51 sank in waters near New Zealand's Bounty Islands early Wednesday.

The three crewmen who died were Indonesians, while the ship’s captain, who is Korean, was found to be one of the three missing crew members.

A total of eight South Koreans, including the captain, were confirmed to be aboard the “Oyang 70.”

Forty-five members of the crew were rescued by ships that were sailing nearby at the time the fishing boat went down.

Currently, some seven fishing vessels are taking part in search and rescue operations.