YAMAGUCHI PREFECTURE, Japan. A South Korean-flagged tanker, the Keoyoung Sun, capsized, claiming the lives of eight sailors and leaving two others missing.
Japan’s coast guard, spearheading the rescue efforts, reported that one individual was discovered in a non-life-threatening condition amidst the wreckage, while the fate of two crew members remains uncertain following the distress call made around 07:00 local time on Wednesday (22:00 GMT Tuesday).
The ill-fated vessel, laden with 980 tonnes of acrylic acid, foundered off the shores of Yamaguchi prefecture, its tragic demise compounded by stormy weather conditions that had forced it to drop anchor.
Rescuers have been fervently scouring the waters near Shimonoseki, a city nestled in the southwestern region of Japan, in a bid to locate the missing sailors and salvage any remnants of hope amidst the tragedy.
According to the Japanese coast guard, the multinational crew aboard the Keoyoung Sun comprised two South Koreans, eight Indonesians, and one Chinese national, reflecting the diverse composition of seafarers navigating the world’s waters.
With winds reaching speeds of up to 54km (33 miles) per hour recorded in the area on Wednesday, the perilous conditions have further complicated rescue efforts, underscoring the challenges faced by maritime authorities in mitigating such disasters.
Gary P Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
