Eight people have died after a South Korean chemical tanker capsized off an island in south-western Japan.
The tanker was carrying 980 tonnes of acrylic acid, a corrosive compound used in adhesives, paints and polishes.
One crew member survived and was rescued, with another two unaccounted for after the vessel capsized.
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.
The ship was completely capsized by the time rescuers arrived at the scene, with footage on NHK showing the ship lying upside down as the sea washed over it.
No leak has been detected from the chemical tanks but officials are studying what environmental protection measures may be needed.
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 have held a meeting to discuss the incident as vice foreign minister Kang Insun asked officials to mobilise all available resources to support rescue works.
He’s also asked officials to assist the relatives of South Korean crew members, according to the foreign ministry.
The ship was en route from the Japanese port of Himeji to Ulsan in South Korea, the coast guard said.
Its captain was South Korean, and its crew included another South Korean national, a Chinese national and eight Indonesians, according to the coast guard.
In November last year, a cargo ship split in half during a violent storm in the Black Sea, killing nine.
The Turkish-flagged Kafkametler sank off the coast of Eregli, northern Turkey after smashing into a breakwater several times, officials said.
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