In this Sept. 2, 2019 file photo, South Korean navy destroyer, the Munmu The Great, prepares to dock at the Manila South Harbor for a three-day port call off Manila, Philippines. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)

       SEOUL (Kyodo) -- Over 80 percent of the 301 crew members aboard a South Korean destroyer off Somalia in East Africa on an antipiracy mission have tested positive for the coronavirus, Yonhap News Agency reported Monday, citing the military.

       The mass outbreak on the warship infecting 247 members of its crew has sparked criticism toward the South Korean government as none of the personnel had been vaccinated against the virus. The ship left South Korea in February, before the country started its inoculation campaign.

       The government has sent military transport planes carrying medical equipment and replacement personnel to bring all the crew members back home.

       According to local media reports, a crew member that showed symptoms similar to a cold early this month was just given a regular medicine for cold without being tested for the virus. Then other members began complaining of similar symptoms, leading to the mass outbreak.

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