World

S. Korean Freighter Sinks Off Coast of Kyodo, Japan, 16 Missing

by Jarrett Martineau | March 9, 2009 at 05:04 pm

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A South Korean freighter has sunk off the coast of Kyodo, Japan after colliding with a Panamanian ship — leaving 16 people missing.

Kyodo: A South Korean freighter reportedly sank after colliding with a Panamanian ship; 7 South Koreans and 9 Indonesians missing.

The collision occurred at approximately 2:20am Tuesday, potentially due to poor visibility and bad weather conditions in the area east of the Izu Oshima island.

NowPublic will be updating this story as more information becomes available.

A South Korean-registered freighter may have sunk after two freighters collided in Pacific Ocean waters off Izu Oshima island, southwest of Tokyo, the Japan Coast Guard said Tuesday.
     Coast Guard personnel are investigating the incident that took place at around 2:20 a.m. Tuesday after losing contact with the South Korean freighter, the 4,255-ton Orchid Pia which had seven South Koreans and nine Indonesians onboard.
     The other ship, the 10,833-ton Panamanian-registered Cygnus Ace, told the Coast Guard that the automobile carrier with a crew of 19 suffered damage to its bow but can navigate on its own.
     The visibility of the area, about 13 kilometers east of the Izu Oshima island, was poor because of rain at the time of the incident, according to the Coast Guard.