Survivors of fishing boat tragedy leave NZ

The 20 survivors from the sinking of the Korean fishing boat Insung No 1 in the Southern Ocean left New Zealand for home on Christmas Day.

The Insung No 1, with a crew of 42, sank in icy seas 2700km southeast of Bluff about 6.30am on December 13.

Five bodies and 20 survivors were found by nearby fishing ship No 707 Hongjin, while 17 crewmen have not been found.

The survivors left Invercargill and flew out of Queenstown Airport on Christmas Day after travel arrangements had been made to repatriate them to their home countries, The Southland Times reported.

The survivors arrived in Bluff on December 24 on board Insung No 7, the sister ship of the doomed Insung No 1, amid high security.

Insung No 7 was carrying the bodies of two Koreans, two Indonesians and one Vietnamese.

It was not yet known how the ship sank but the vessel's owner has said it sank within 30 minutes, possibly after hitting an iceberg.

Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) chief investigator of accidents Tim Burfoot said interviews with the survivors were completed before they left on Christmas Day.

TAIC was helping Korean authorities and the New Zealand coroners court complete their investigations.

- NZPA