TOKYO: Eight people died after a South Korean-flagged tanker capsized in rough seas off Japan on Wednesday, the coast guard said.

“They were confirmed dead at a hospital,” a spokesman said. One other person was in a non-life-threatening condition while two others remained missing.

Previously the coast guard had said nine people were rescued from the stricken ship but gave no indication on their condition. The chemicals tanker had 11 people on board including two South Koreans, eight Indonesians and one Chinese, the coast guard said.

The tanker was carrying 980 tonnes of acrylic acid, but there were no leaks reported, Japan’s Kyodo news agency reported, citing the coast guard. Footage from Japanese broadcaster NHK earlier showed the overturned red hull of the ship as well as a life raft, as a coast guard ship pounded through 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 southwestern coast not far from Kitakyushu port. With waves as high as 3.5 metres (11 feet), the crew notified the coast guard early on Wednesday that the vessel was tilting and requested help , NHK said.

The Japan Coast Guard received the rescue call soon after 7am saying that the ship was “tilting, please help us”, the spokesman said. NHK named the vessel as the Keoyoung Sun, which specialist website VesselFinder said is a chemical and oil products tanker built in 1996, measuring 69 metres (226 feet) 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 in the coming days, especially along mountainous areas.

Published in Dawn, March 21st, 2024