Tokyo:
Japan’s Coast Guard said Monday it was looking for seven people missing after their boat capsized and was spotted in the waters off the Tokyo-controlled Senkaku Islands, which are also claimed by China.
The overturned boat was spotted by a Japanese naval patrol in the area on Sunday afternoon, floating in waters north of the islands, coastguard Keisuke Nakao told AFP.
The crew consists of one Taiwanese and six Indonesians, he added.
“We have been searching the area with patrol vessels and helicopters since we received the information from the Maritime Self-Defense Force at around 13:30 (0430 GMT) on Sunday,” he said.
Nakao also said Japanese authorities were cooperating with their counterparts in Taiwan, which also lays claim to the Senkaku islets. Beijing calls the uninhabited area the Diaoyu Islands.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed in a statement that the vessel was a fishing boat registered in Taiwan and believed to have capsized near one of the Senkaku Islands.
“The National Rescue Command Center has contacted Taiwanese fishing boats near the accident scene to assist in the search. The Taiwanese and Japanese Coast Guards have also sent search and rescue vessels,” the statement said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by DailyExpertNews staff and is being published from a syndicated feed.)
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