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

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

In Summary

• The ship was reportedly at anchor because of stormy weather.

• No details of its cargo were immediately available.

Japanese coast guard helicopter (file image)
Japanese coast guard helicopter (file image)
Image: Koichi Kamoshida/BBC

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).

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.

Japanese media report that the crew consists of two Koreans, eight Indonesians and one Chinese citizen.

Winds measuring up to 54km (33 miles) per hour were measured in the area on Wednesday.

-- Additional reporting by Chie Kobayashi in Tokyo and Kelly Ng in Singapore

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