South Korean tanker sinks off Japan coast, 8 dead
Last Updated on March 21, 2024 4:32 am
A South Korean chemical tanker has sunk off the west coast of Japan. Eight people died in this accident. Besides, two others are missing.
On Wednesday (March 20), the tanker named Kyoyong San with 11 crew capsized near Matsure Island, 1,000 kilometers from Tokyo, the capital of Japan.
Japan’s coastguard initially said it had rescued nine of the 11 crew members. Among them were two South Koreans, eight Indonesians and one Chinese national. Later, the Coast Guard said that they rescued an Indonesian alive. They could not confirm whether the other rescued person was alive or dead.
Rescue operations are on to find the remaining two crew members who are still missing.
Japanese news agency NHK reported that the ship was en route to Ulsan in South Korea from the port of Himeji in Japan.
The cause of how the ship sank is not yet known. However, the ship’s crew was able to inform the Coast Guard that they were in danger due to rough seas and took shelter near Matsure Island.
The vessel was carrying 980 tonnes of acrylic acid at the time of the accident. No cracks appeared in it even though it sank. However, efforts are underway to determine what kind of environmental damage could occur if a crack occurs.
The Coast Guard said the vessel was completely submerged when they arrived at the scene. In the video released by NHK, the upper part of the ship was completely submerged. And the lower part is raised.
The South Korean tanker was built in 1996, according to data from the shipping agency VesselFinder. It is 226 feet long.
Source: BBC