Cargo ship sinks between South Korea, Japan; 5 crew rescued

South Korean and Japanese officers mentioned 14 crewmembers on the Hong Kong-registered ship are Chinese language and eight are from Myanmar.

Shinya Kitahara, spokesperson of Japan Coast Guard, mentioned the ship sank almost 4 hours after sending a misery name at round 11:15 p.m. Tuesday. In line with Jeju island’s coast guard officers, the ship’s captain final communicated with the coast guard by way of a satellite tv for pc cellphone at round 2:41 a.m., saying that crewmembers would abandon the ship.

Nobody was discovered within the three life rafts and two lifeboats searched by South Korean coast guard crews who later arrived on a speedboat.

Kitahara, who confirmed the rescue of at the least 4 crewmembers, mentioned the reason for the ship’s sinking was not instantly identified and that there have been no indicators that it collided with one other vessel. He mentioned Japan dispatched patrol boats and plane to the world, however their arrivals had been delayed by tough climate.

Robust wind warnings have been issued on the web site of the sinking, which is about 160 kilometers (100 miles) southwest of the Japanese metropolis of Nagasaki.

Yamaguchi reported from Tokyo.