The Jin Tian, a Hong Kong-flagged cargo ship carrying 22 people (14 Chinese and 8 Burmese) sank when it was 110 kilometers west of the Danjo Islands
Posted on: 2023-01-25 10:58
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According to an initial assessment, 9 crew members have been declared missing after a cargo ship, the Jin Tian, capsized at sea on the morning of January 25 off the coast of Nagasaki, as confirmed by the Japan Coast Guard.
Bad weather at sea, ship capsizes
there The Japan Coast Guard said they received a distress signal by a Hong Kong-flagged vessel late Tuesday night as it sailed 110 kilometers (68 miles) west of the Danjo Islands in the East China Sea with a crew of 22 on board.
According to reports from CNN, the crew – 14 Chinese and eight Burmese nationals – allegedly tried to transfer aboard lifeboats. However, strong winds and rough seas made operations difficult.
Thirteen people saved
At this moment, thirteen crew members were rescued: Five from merchant ships sailing nearby, two from Japan Air Self-Defense Force helicopters and six from the South Korean Maritime Police, the Japan Coast Guard confirmed.
The Coast Guard stated that the ship should reach Incheon Port, South KoreaOn Wednesday.
The cargo ship has departed Port Klang in Malaysia in early Decemberaccording to the monitoring site MarineTraffic.
Photo source: ANSA There are currently 9 people missing from the crew
Who sounded the alarm
Currently Coast Guard patrol boats and aircraft They are looking for the remaining nine crew membersbut search operations are hampered by high winds and rough seas.
As La Repubblica explains, according to what has been communicated by the officials of the Jeju Island Coast Guardthe last communication dates back to 2:41 am, five minutes before sinking.
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the ship captain he would use a satellite phone South Korean Coast Guard officers that he and the crew were abandoning the ship. Then the communication stopped.
This is not the first time a ship has sunk in the South and East China Seas. Last July, an industrial supply ship sank in the South China Sea due to a typhoon: only 3 crew members were rescued.
Then there is the unknown North Korea. At the end of December 2022, ballistic missile launches continued towards the Sea of Japan from Pyongyang: with the two parties last December 17, 35 missiles flew over Japanese territory in 2022 alone.
Photo source: ANSA