16 Missing After Cargo Ship Sinks in Japan Waters
By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter
South Korean and Japanese authorities are making concerted efforts to search and rescue 16 sailors, including seven Korean nationals, who went missing after their cargo ship collided with a larger freighter in waters off Japan early Tuesday morning, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said.
The Korean-flagged 4,255-ton Orchid Pia collided with Panamanian-registered automobile carrier Cygnuis Ace at around 2:15 a.m. near Izu Oshima Island, about 120 kilometers south of Tokyo, it said.
The Orchid Pia was carrying a cargo of steel and bound for Yeosu on Korea's southern coast, while the Cygnus Ace was heading toward Aichi when the collision occurred.
``We will send a ministry official and a veteran staff member from the (Korean) coast guard to assist the operation,'' said Kim Yu-chul, director of the ministry's department handling accidents involving Koreans abroad. ``The government has already formed an emergency team to deal with the situation.''
He added that the families of the missing Korean crew are expected to head to Japan soon.
The Japan Coast Guard said five ships and three helicopters had been scrambled by the Coast Guard in Yokohama and the Maritime Self-Defense Force to look for survivors. The coast guard, which has launched an investigation, said an empty lift raft and several life jackets had already been found.