One dead, three missing after cargo ship sinks following collision off Japan
- Japan-flagged cargo ships Senshomaru and Sumihomaru collided at around 2.10am on Sunday off Chiba prefecture
- The Senshomaru was later found on the seabed at a depth of 30 meters (98 feet) near the site of the collision
One crew member was killed and three were left missing after a steel-carrying cargo ship sank following an overnight collision with another ship off Japan, the coastguard and local media reported.
Japan-flagged cargo ships Senshomaru and Sumihomaru collided at around 2.10am on Sunday in Pacific waters off Chiba prefecture, according to local coastguard official Hiromitsu Kawaguchi.
“Senshomaru seems to have sunk at the scene of the collision. Coastguard patrol boat Matsushima rescued the captain of Senshomaru,” Kawaguchi said.
The Senshomaru was later found on the seabed at a depth of 30 meters (98 feet) near the site of the collision, and the body of one of the missing crew members was found inside, Japan’s Jiji Press and Kyodo News reported.
All four crew on the 499-tonne Sumihomaru were safe after the collusion. There were no details immediately available about the scale of the damage it had suffered, officials said.