- Two crew members of the capsized Keoyoung Sun have still not been found
- The cause of the capsizing is still not known
- The tanker was carrying nearly a thousand tonnes of acrylic acid
Eight people have died after a South Korean-flagged tanker carrying nearly a thousand tonnes of acid capsized in rough seas off the coast of Japan, as rescuers desperately search for two more crew members.
Nine members of the 11-man crew of the Keoyoung Sun - which included two South Koreans, eight Indonesians and one Chinese - were rescued and the coastguard is 'still searching for the remaining two', a spokesman told AFP news agency.
Though the rescued crew members were immediately taken to hospital, eight of them have since passed away.
The one crew member confirmed alive was from Indonesia, while the coast guard is still searching for two more. Another person found was in unknown condition, officials said.
The Keoyoung Sun started to sink off Yamaguchi prefecture at around 7am local time on Wednesday, at which point the crew called the coast guard to inform them that the vessel would be limping over to Mutsure Island.
Footage from Japanese broadcaster NHK showed the overturned red hull of the ship as well as a life raft (pictured)
The tanker, which specialist site vesselfinder.com said is a chemical and oil products tanker built in 1996
The Keoyoung Sun started to sink off Yamaguchi prefecture at around 7am local time on Wednesday
There was no information on whether that compound had leaked into the ocean, according to the coast guard
Mutsure is located at the southwestern end of Japan's main island of Honshu, roughly 500 miles away from Tokyo as the crow flies.
The tanker, which specialist site vesselfinder.com said is a chemical and oil products tanker built in 1996, measuring 226 feet in length, was carrying 980 tonnes of acrylic acid.
The ship was en route from the Japanese port of Himeji to Ulsan in South Korea from, according to NHK.
Footage from Japanese broadcaster NHK showed the overturned red hull of the ship as well as a life raft, as a coast guard ship pounded through heavy waves and a helicopter flew overhead.
The Japan Coast Guard received a rescue call soon after 7:00am local time saying that the ship was 'tilting, please help us', the spokesman said.
The ship's operator declined to comment.
There was no information on whether that compound had leaked into the ocean, according to the coast guard.
Acrylic acid is primarily used to create acrylics and resins.
They are also used in oil treatment and water treatment chemicals.
