A South Korean fishing vessel has sunk in waters off Antarctica, leaving five crew members dead and 17 others missing.

The government said that a 600-ton South Korean fishing ship with 42 crew members aboard went down in waters near Antarctica, southwest of New Zealand, at 4:30 a.m. on Monday (KST.)

The ministry said that of the eight South Koreans on board, two were dead and five are missing.

Twenty crew members were saved by three South Korean ships that were fishing in nearby waters at the time.

A search and rescue operation for the missing members of the crew is under way.