Eight people died after a South Korean-flagged tanker capsized off Japan on Wednesday, the coast guard stated.
They were confirmed dead at a hospital, according to a spokesman.
One other person was in a non-life-threatening condition while two others remained missing.
The chemicals tanker had 11 people on board including two South Koreans, eight Indonesians and one Chinese, the coast guard added.
The tanker was carrying 980 tonnes of acrylic acid, but there was no information on whether that compound had leaked into the ocean, according to the coast guard.
Footage 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 crew notified the coast guard early on Wednesday that the vessel was tilting and requested help near the island of Mutsure, off Japan’s southwestern coast, NHK said.
Japan was being buffeted by strong winds on Wednesday with high waves and heavy snow forecast in the coming days especially along mountainous areas.
Gusts of up to 126 kilometres (78 miles) per hour were expected in several areas, NHK reported.
A South Korean fishing boat carrying nine crew members, seven of whom were Indonesians, sank off the country’s southern coast earlier this month, leaving six people missing.
The ship capsized in waters 68 kilometers (42 miles) South of an Island in the coastal city of Tongyeong early Saturday morning, according to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol directed relevant authorities to “do their best to save lives by mobilising all available personnel and equipment, including navy and fishing boats,” according to a statement from his office.
The boat that capsized had set sail from the country’s southernmost island of Jeju on Thursday morning, and was engaged in fishing, Yonhap said.
Local news agency said patrol boats, navy vessels, and aircraft have been deployed for the ongoing search efforts.
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