Concern is growing over a COVID-19 cluster within a South Korean naval destroyer stationed in waters off of Africa on an anti-piracy mission, as scores of crew members are showing symptoms. 

According to an official of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Friday, over 80 crew members displayed symptoms after six people aboard the four-thousand-400-ton naval destroyer Munmu the Great had tested positive for the virus earlier this week.

They were placed under quarantine at an isolated space within the vessel, while five of them with high fever and muscle pains were taken to a local hospital for treatment. 

Another two officers of the Cheonghae Unit have also been hospitalized, including one who first showed pneumonia-like symptoms and prompted other crew members to be tested for the virus. An interpreter who was deployed to assist the former officer’s hospitalization was also hospitalized after testing positive. 

Two of the seven officers hospitalized were known to be under special care due to serious pneumonia-like symptoms. 

Some 300 members on board underwent a polymerase chain reaction(PCR) test around 12 a.m. Thursday, with results expected to come from Saturday morning. 

Amid growing concerns over the health of the unit’s officers, the South Korean military reportedly plans to dispatch a pair of aerial tankers over the weekend to bring all the crew members home.