Cargo Ships Collide Off Japan

Update: Japan Times reports that the five crewmembers were rescued from capsized Eifuku Maru No. 18 in critical condition and only one has been confirmed killed. One person remains missing. There were a total of 6 crewmembers on board the Eifuku Maru No. 18 when it collided with the Jia Hui, causing it to capsize.

Earlier:

Five people have been killed and one is still missing after two cargo ships collided off Japan Friday.

Citing a Japan Coast Guard official, AP reports that the Japanese-flagged Eifuku Maru No. 18 capsized after colliding with the Sierra Leone-flagged Jia Hui about 7 miles west of Izu Oshima island, located about 60 miles south of Tokyo.

The five killed and one missing were all crewmembers of the Eifuku Maru No. 18. The crewmembers were reported recovered from inside the overturned vessel. The twelve crewmembers of the Jia Hui were unharmed, the AP report says.

Photos of the Eifuku Maru No. 18 show the vessel completely capsized. Damage to the Jia Hui appears to be limited to the ship’s bow.

Japan’s Coast Guard has patrol boats and helicopters on scene conducting a search.

The AP report added that the 498-ton Eifuku Maru was traveling from Nagoya, central Japan, to Ichikawa, east of Tokyo. The much bigger 2,962-ton Jia Hui was headed from Kawasaki, Japan, to Busan, South Korea.