Twelve people are missing, following collision of their fishing vessel with an oil tanker, off the west coast of Japan, on Thursday morning, according to sources.
As informed, the Chinese fishing boat was carrying 16 crew members onboard, when it collided with the Hong Kong-registered tanker ‘Blight Oil’ and capsized. At the time of the incident, 21 people were onboard the tanker, all of whom are reported to be safe.
Four people were rescued by the Chinese coast guard, while the others remain unaccounted for. The missing persons are all of Chinese origin.
The collision occurred 400 kilometers north of the Oki Islands in the Sea of Japan, local media reported.
Japanese authorities have deployed three ships for search and rescue operations.
