Ship sunk in sea between South Korea and Japan, 9 people rescued still unconscious

Seoul: A cargo ship sank early Wednesday in the sea between South Korea and Japan, with 14 of the 22 crew on board being rescued. Of the 14 rescued, nine are still unconscious, officials said. However, no immediate information was given about loss of life in the accident. He said the crew members would be airlifted to Japan for treatment. South Korean officials said coastguards from South Korea and Japan, ships, aircraft and two commercial cargo ships were searching for the eight missing crew members. All efforts are being affected due to strong winds and high waves.

The Japanese Coast Guard confirmed the rescue of 13 people, five of whom are Chinese. Japanese Coast Guard spokesman Shinya Kitahara said the 6,551-tonne ‘Jin Tian’ sank about three-and-a-half hours after a call for help was received at around 11.15 pm on Tuesday. The ship, registered in Hong Kong, sank in the sea off the South Korean island of Jeju. Coast Guard officials on Jeju Island said the ship’s captain had last contacted the Coast Guard at 2:41 a.m. late Tuesday and was informed that the crew members were leaving the ship.

According to the Jeju Coast Guard, six crew members were rescued by South Korean Coast Guard ships, while a cargo ship rescued five and a Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force ship rescued three. According to South Korean and Japanese officials, 14 of the crew members on board are Chinese and 8 are Myanmarese. According to maritime transport websites, the vessel had left Malaysia’s Port Klang on December 3 and was headed to South Korea’s Incheon port.

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