2 dead after Hong Kong-flagged cargo ship with 14 Chinese nationals aboard sinks in waters between South Korea and Japan
- Rescuers are still searching for nine people after vessel capsized early in morning
- Myanmar national among crew members who died, according to Chinese consulate in Fukuoka
At least two people died after a Hong Kong-flagged cargo ship capsized in the wind-whipped waters between South Korea and Japan on Wednesday.
The vessel, Jin Tian, sank early on Wednesday morning about 110km (68 miles) west of the remote Danjo Islands, which are part of the Nagasaki prefecture. The 22 crew members comprised 14 Chinese nationals and eight people from Myanmar.
The Japanese coastguard, which conducted the rescue operation with its South Korean counterpart, said 13 crew members had been rescued, five of whom were conscious, but two other sailors had died.
A Myanmese national was among the dead, the Chinese consulate in Fukuoka said, citing information from the Japanese rescue units. It added that bodies of the other six people appeared stiff when they were rescued and had shown no signs of life.
Rescuers are still searching for the remaining nine people.
Hong Kong authorities are following up on the incident.
The 6,551-tonne vessel, transporting timber, issued a call for help at about 11.15pm local time on Tuesday. It sank about three and a half hours later.