Eight dead after tanker capsizes

EIGHT people have died after a South Korean chemical tanker capsized off an island in south- western Japan, authorities said yesterday. One crew member survived and was rescued, with another two unaccounted for.

Officials said the tanker was carrying 980 tonnes of acrylic acid, a corrosive organic compound used in adhesives, paints and polishes. No leak has been detected, and officials are studying what environmental protection measures may be needed in case there is a leak.

The Japanese coast guard said it received a distress call from the chemical tanker Keoyoung Sun, saying that it was tilting while seeking refuge from bad weather near Japan’s Mutsure Island, about 620 miles from Tokyo in southwestern Japan. The ship was completely capsized by the time rescuers arrived at the scene.

Footage on Japan’s NHK television showed the ship lying upside down, with a rough sea washing over its red underside.

The ship was carrying 11 crew, of whom nine have been found, authorities said. The one crew member confirmed alive is from Indonesia, with the coast guard still searching for two more.

South Korean officials held a meeting to discuss the incident, with the country’s vice foreign minister Kang Insun asking officials to mobilise all available resources to support rescue works.

The coast guard said the ship was en route from the Japanese port of Himeji to Ulsan in South Korea, adding that its captain was South Korean, and the crew included another South Korean national, a Chinese national and eight Indonesians.