Photo: Uncredited/AP/Shutterstock

In this photo provided by the Korea Coast Guard, members of South Korea coast guard conduct a search operation in waters between South Korea and Japan, . South Korean and Japanese coast guards were searching for crew members of a cargo ship that sank early Wednesday in waters between South Korea and Japan, South Korean officials said Wednesday South Korea Japan Ship Sinking, At Sea - 24 Jan 2023

Perthe Associated Press, the Japanese coast guard said the 6,551-ton Jin Tian ship sank three and a half hours after it sent a distress call around 11:15 p.m. on Tuesday night.

At around 2:41 a.m., the ship’s captain informed the Jeju Island coast guard that the crew was abandoning the vessel, according to the AP. The ship was transporting lumber.

South Korean officials picked up six crew members using coast guard vessels. In addition, a cargo ship in the area retrieved five members from the water while Japan Air Self-Defense Force helicopters picked up two,according to CNN.

The AP reported that nine of those who were retrieved remained unconscious.

Ten crew members were transported to a hospital in Nagasaki, Japan. Two were announced dead on arrival, per Japanese officials.

PHOTO: KOREAN COAST GUARD/HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/ShutterstockPHOTO: HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock (13737127b)

A handout photo made available by the Korean Coast Guard shows members of the Coast Guard engaging in a search and rescue operation in waters 148.2 kilometers southeast of Seogwipo, Jeju Island, South Korea, 25 January 2023, after Jin Tian, a Hong Kong-registered cargo ship carrying 22 crew members, sank off the southern island. Cargo ship sinks between Japan and South Korea, Jeju - 25 Jan 2023

A handout photo taken and released on 25 January 2023 by 7th Regional Coast Guard headquarters shows a lifeboat from the Jin Tian cargo ship, a Hong Kong-registered cargo ship carrying 22 crew members, which sank off Japan’s southwestern Nagasaki prefecture. Cargo ship sinks between Japan and South Korea - 25 Jan 2023

According toReuters, the Japanese coast guard is “seeking cooperation from the Self-Defence Forces, South Korean Coast Guard, and vessels sailing near the waters,” government spokesperson Hirokazu Matsuno said.

Officials have not said what caused the ship to sink but noted there were strong winds at sea during the time of the incident, per the outlet.

The Jin Tian carried 14 Chinese and eight Myanmar nationals as crew members,Kyodo Newsreported.

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Another ship ran aground in Okinawa amid heavy winds, the outlet said. All of its 19 crew members were rescued.

source: people.com