Cargo ship sinks between Japan, S Korea; 9 still missing

Search and rescue efforts beneath approach after a cargo ship carrying lumber capsizes between Japan and South Korea.

Members of the South Korean Coast Guard seek for crew members of a cargo ship that sank early Wednesday in waters between South Korea and Japan [The Korea Coast Guard via AP]

Japan and South Korea are trying to find 9 crew members of a cargo ship that capsized in tough climate.

Japanese and South Korean media stated 13 members of the crew had been rescued on Wednesday after the 6,551-tonne “Jintian” sank off the coast of Japan’s Nagasaki.

5 of the crew had been picked up by close by vessels, whereas eight had been later rescued by the Japanese and South Korean coast guards.

Japanese officers stated 14 crew members on the Hong Kong-registered ship are Chinese language and eight are from Myanmar.

The Kyodo information company stated the Jintian’s crew despatched a misery name late on Tuesday, saying their ship had “tilted and is flooding”.

The vessel went beneath about 4 hours after the decision, the company reported.

In line with South Korean officers, the ship’s captain final communicated with the coast guard of South Korea’s Jeju Island by way of a satellite tv for pc telephone at about 2:41am native time on Wednesday (17:41 GMT Tuesday), saying that crew members would abandon the ship.

The ship was utterly submerged when the South Korean Coast Guard arrived on the scene, reported the Yonhap information company.

The coast guard didn't discover anybody on the primary three life rafts and two lifeboats they searched.

There was no instant phrase on what precipitated the Jintian, which was carrying lumber, to capsize.

The incident occurred as a chilly snap hit a lot of Japan and South Korea, with heavy snow falling in some areas and daytime temperatures in among the islands nearest the rescue website reaching simply 3C (37F).

The world the place the ship sank is between Nagasaki and South Korea’s Jeju island, the place a whole lot of flights had been cancelled on Tuesday due to harsh climate situations.

Japan’s coast guard stated winds had been sturdy on the time the misery sign was acquired.

It stated it instantly dispatched patrol boats and plane to the realm, however their arrivals had been delayed by tough climate.