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Hong Kong-flagged cargo ship with 14 Chinese nationals aboard sinks off Japan
- The Jin Tian sank early on Wednesday morning about 110km west of Japan’s remote Danjo islands, making reaching the site difficult
- 14 Chinese nationals and 8 people from Myanmar were on board, the coastguard said. 14 crew members have been rescued so far
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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.
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