Ship sinks between South Korea and Japan; 12 of 22 crewmembers found

Ships searching in wind-whipped waters between South Korea and Japan have picked up at least 12 of the 22 crewmembers from a cargo ship that sank early Wednesday

South Korea-Japan
South Korea-Japan
AP Seoul
2 min read Last Updated : Jan 25 2023 | 10:44 AM IST

Ships searching in wind-whipped waters between South Korea and Japan have picked up at least 12 of the 22 crewmembers from a cargo ship that sank early Wednesday. Officials said only one of them remained conscious, but they did not immediately confirm any deaths.

South Korean and Japanese coast guard vessels and aircraft as well as two commercial cargo ships were continuing to search for the 10 missing crewmembers but the efforts were being slowed by strong winds and waves, South Korean officials said.

The 6,551-ton Jin Tan sank about three and a half hours after it sent a distress call at around 11:15 p.m. Tuesday in Japan's exclusive economic zone, Japanese coast guard spokesperson Shinya Kitahara said.

The vessel, which was Hong Kong registered and carrying lumber, sank about 160 kilometers (100 miles) southwest of Nagasaki, Japan, and about 150 kilometers (93 miles) south of South Korea's Jeju island.

The captain last communicated with the coast guard through a satellite phone around 2:41 a.m., saying crewmembers would abandon the ship, minutes before it sank, Jeju island coast guard officials said.

Six crewmembers were picked up by South Korean coast guard vessels, while a cargo ship picked up five and a Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force vessel picked up one, according to Jeju's coast guard.

According to South Korean and Japanese officials, 14 crewmembers are Chinese and eight are from Myanmar.

Kitahara, who confirmed the rescue of at least four crewmembers, said the cause of the ship's sinking was not immediately known and that there were no signs that it collided with another vessel. He said the arrivals of Japanese patrol boats and aircraft were delayed by rough weather following the sinking.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Months/month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Months/month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Access to Exclusive Premium Stories Online

  • Unlimited access to all articles

  • 30+ premium stories daily, handpicked by our editor

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio

  • Wirecutter & The Athletic

Complimentary Access to Our e-Paper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper

  • Read, save, share any article

Curated Newsletters on Diverse Topics

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Smart Investment Tips

  • In-depth stock analysis & insights

  • The Smart Investor for wealth growth tips

Access to Extensive Historical Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading Experience

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

More From This Section

Topics :South KoreaJapan

Gold price in Delhi today is ₹ 84,470, Click Here for other cities. Silver price in Delhi today is ₹ 84,470, Click Here for other cities.

First Published: Jan 25 2023 | 10:44 AM IST

Subscribe to read without limits
Subscribe Now
Next Story