Seven dead as South Korea-flagged tanker capsizes off Japan coast

IMAGE|| BBC

Keoyoung, South Korea: Seven sailors have died after a South Korean-flagged tanker overturned off the west coast of Japan.

Rescuers found two other crew members – one of them is conscious, while the condition of the other is unknown, Japan’s coast guard told the BBC.

The Keoyoung Sun capsized off Yamaguchi prefecture after the crew radioed for help around 07:00 on Wednesday (22:00 GMT Tuesday).

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The search is still on for another two sailors who were on board.

The ship was reportedly at anchor because of stormy weather. No details of its cargo were immediately available.

The vessel is described as an “oil/chemical tanker” on shipping websites.

The rescue operation has been taking place close to the city of Shimonoseki in the country’s south-west.