Eight people died after a South Korean-flagged tanker capsized in rough seas off Japan, the coastguard said.
“They were confirmed dead at a hospital,” a spokesperson told AFP on Wednesday. One other person was in a non-life-threatening condition while two others remained missing.
The coastguard had said previously that nine people were rescued from the stricken ship but gave no indication of their condition.
The chemicals tanker had 11 people onboard, including two South Koreans, eight Indonesians and one Chinese, the coastguard said.
The tanker was carrying 980 tonnes of acrylic acid, but there were no leaks reported, Japan’s Kyodo news agency reported, citing the coastguard.
Footage from the Japanese broadcaster NHK earlier showed the overturned red hull of the ship as well as a life raft, as a coastguard ship negotiated heavy waves and a helicopter flew overhead.
The ship had been at anchor due to rough weather near the island of Mutsure, off Japan’s south-western coast not far from Kitakyushu port.
With waves as high as 3.5 metres (11ft), the crew notified the coastguard early on Wednesday that the vessel was tilting and requested help, NHK said.
The Japan Coast Guard received the rescue call shortly after 7am (22:00 GMT on Tuesday) saying that the ship was “tilting, please help us”, the spokesperson said.
NHK named the vessel as the Keoyoung Sun, which the specialist website VesselFinder said was a chemical and oil products tanker built in 1996, measuring 69 metres (226ft) in length.
The ship’s operator declined to comment.
Japan was being buffeted by strong winds on Wednesday with high waves and heavy snow forecast, especially along mountainous areas.
Gusts of up to 126km (78 miles) an hour were expected in several areas, NHK reported, with winds intensifying, mainly in western and eastern Japan owing to a low pressure system.
The Meteorological Agency warned people to be alert for gusty winds, high waves, heavy snow and even lightning strikes and tornadoes.
South Korea’s foreign ministry said it had dispatched an embassy official to the site and was in “close communication with related organisations”.
Earlier this month, a South Korean fishing boat carrying nine crew, including seven Indonesians, capsized off the country’s southern coast, leaving six missing.
The South Korean president, Yoon Suk Yeol, had ordered the relevant authorities to “do their best to save lives by mobilising all available personnel and equipment, including navy and fishing boats”, his office said in a statement.
The Yonhap news agency said patrol boats, navy vessels, and aircraft had been deployed for the continuing search efforts.
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