Ships searching in wind-whipped waters between South Korea and Japan have picked up at least 14 of the 22 crew members from a cargo ship that capsized on Wednesday. Officials said nine of those found were unconscious, but they did not immediately confirm any deaths. The Hong Kong -flagged Jin Tian sank early on Wednesday morning about 110km west of the remote Danjo islands, part of Nagasaki prefecture, the coastguard said. The ship issued a call for help around 11.15pm local time on Tuesday. The captain last communicated with the coastguard through a satellite phone around 2.41am, saying crew members would abandon the ship, minutes before it sank, Jeju island coastguard officials said. Media reported a person on the ship said it was listing and taking on water, and later reports said the 22 crew members – all Chinese or Myanmar nationals – had transferred to lifeboats. They boarded emergency rafts at 2:40am, and the ship went under six minutes later, according to reports. The Japanese coastguard confirmed the rescue of at least 13 crew members and said five of them – all Chinese nationals – were still alive. Six of the crew were rescued by South Korea’s coastguard, which was assisting the operation. A maritime official based on the South Korean island of Jeju told reporters that unconscious crew members who had been rescued were being transported to Nagasaki in Japan. Coastguard vessels, aircraft and two commercial cargo ships were continuing to search for missing crew members but the efforts were being slowed by strong winds and waves, South Korean officials said. Investigators raid Japan boat tour company’s office after sinking The location of the sinking has made reaching the site difficult. Three civilian ships – a Japanese research vessel, a Liberian tanker and Chinese cargo ship – were also undertaking rescue efforts, maritime authorities said. There was no immediate word on what caused the vessel, which was carrying timber, to capsize. The coastguard said winds were strong at the time the distress signal was received and that the water in the area remained rough. Japan was hit with winter storms on Tuesday in Western parts of the country, with extremely low temperatures and winds across many other areas as well. Heavy snow fell in some areas and daytime temperatures in some of the islands nearest the rescue site reached just three degrees Celsius (37 degrees Fahrenheit). Wednesday’s sinking appears to be the worst since a cargo ship carrying almost 6,000 cattle sank in 2020 off the coast, leaving most of the crew of 43 missing at sea. The crew on board the 6,551-tonne Jin Tian comprised 14 Chinese nationals and eight people from Myanmar, the coastguard said. The ship is owned by Long Bright Shipping Limited, a Hong Kong-registered company that is a subsidiary of Shenzhen Shekou Shipping Transportation, according to a July 2022 filing made by the parent company to China’s National Equities Exchange and Quotations. Reporting by Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, Bloomberg, Reuters
