(www.MaritimeCyprus.com) Eight crewmembers have been pronounced dead and two are still missing after a South Korean-flagged tanker capsized off Japan in rough seas, according to officials.
The tanker Keoyoung Sun with 11 crew members capsised on Wednesday near Mutsure Island, just off southwestern Japan’s Honshu main island, about 1,000km (620 miles) from the capital, Tokyo.
The Moji Coast Guard station in western Japan reported that it received a distress call early on Wednesday morning from the crew of the tanker Keoyoung Sun (1,168 dwt) that the vessel was listing in a storm. They were requesting urgent assistance. It was anchored approximately five miles north-northwest of Mutsure Island in southwestern Japan off Honshu.
By the time the Coast Guard helicopters and patrol boats reached the scene the vessel had capsized. The Coast Guard also requested the assistance of the Navy and local fishing boats as well as other commercial vessels in the area to aid in the search. Images show one of the vessel’s inflatable life rafts floating near the overturned hull and divers and helicopters in the area.
Watch the relevant video below from Japan News.
