VLADIVOSTOK, April 21. /TASS/. A total of 19 crew members rescued from the Russian ship that caught fire off South Korea were taken to the shore, a spokesperson for Russia’s river and sea fleet authority Rosmorrechflot said on Friday.

"The crew tried to extinguish the fire by themselves, but failed. The majority of crew members evacuated to inflatable rafts and were later rescued by Koreans. Of the 21 crew members who were rescued, 19 were unharmed and two suffered minor burns," spokesman Andrey Kravchenko said.

"19 crew members were taken to the shore, while the captain and the chief engineer stayed aboard the Korean ship to assist the search and rescue effort," he added.

According to latest reports, the fire has not yet been extinguished. The ship was on its way to the Sea of Okhotsk after repairs.

South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported on Friday, citing coast guards, that a Russian fishing vessel had caught fire off South Korea’s city of Ulsan, and four of its crew members were listed as missing. The ship had the crew of 25, all of them were Russian citizens.

The fire broke out at 00:43 local time on Friday (6:43 p.m. Moscow time on Thursday). The ship, with a displacement of 769 metric tons, was transporting 100 tonnes of seafood. It was on its way to Russia when the crew issued a distress call. South Korean coast guards responded to the emergency, sending a rescue vessel to the area. The search for the missing four crew members is ongoing.