Update | One Chinese crew dead, eight missing after ships collide near Tokyo

A mainland Chinese crew member was killed and eight others were missing after their Taiwanese-owned freighter collided with another ship at the mouth of Tokyo Bay and sank yesterday.

The 130-metre Beagle III, which was carrying steel coil, collided with the South Korean-registered Pegasus Prime in the Uraga waterway at around 3.10am.

Twelve of the 20 Chinese crew aboard the Beagle III were rescued, but one was later confirmed dead, a Japan Coast Guard official said. "We are continuing to search for the eight others still missing," he said.

The ship's owner, Wisdom Marine, was working with authorities to rescue the missing crew and prevent pollution from the ship, which was loaded with steel coil, said Bruce Hsueh, a spokesman for the Taipei-based firm. Hsueh could not confirm the crew member's death.

The crew of the 127-metre-long Pegasus Prime, including six South Koreans and eight Myanmese, were accounted for. Two were injured while trying to lower a lifeboat, the Japanese official said. The ship, which was carrying 460 shipping containers from Busan, did not suffer serious damage, the Seoul-based Dong Young Shipping said.