The cargo ship Jin Tian capsizes off the coast of Japan with 22 on board

Tokyo Eureka News Now —

Nine crew members remain missing after a cargo ship capsized off Japan’s Nagasaki Prefecture on Wednesday, the Japan Coast Guard told Eureka News Now.

The Coast Guard said it received a distress signal from the Hong Kong-flagged vessel Jin Tian late Tuesday night as it was cruising 110 kilometers (68 miles) west of the Danjo Islands in the East China Sea with a crew of 22 on board.

The crew — 14 Chinese and eight Myanmar nationals — were said to have been transferred to lifeboats before rough seas affected their rescue, the Japan Coast Guard said.

Thirteen crew members have been rescued so far – five by merchant ships cruising nearby, two by Japan Air Self-Defense Force helicopters and six by the South Korean Maritime Police, the Japan Coast Guard said.

The Coast Guard said the Jin Tian was scheduled to reach Incheon Port in South Korea on Wednesday. It left Malaysia’s Port Klang in early December, according to tracking site MarineTraffic.