Six Chinese nationals are among the eight persons who have died after a ship sank off the coast of Japan, a Chinese envoy told state media on Thursday.
On Tuesday night, the Jin Tian, which was located in the far southwest of Japan, 110 kilometers (68 miles) west of the isolated and desolate Danjo Islands, sent out a distress call.
13 crew members were found after extensive search efforts involving numerous ships and aircraft from the coast guard and military of Japan, as well as the coast guard and private ships of South Korea.
According to Lu Guijun, the consul general of China in Fukuoka, “eight have been verified dead, of which six are Chinese,” of the 13 persons found.
He continued, “Five of them—including four Chinese crew members—are not in life-threatening situations.
Our sincere condolences go out to the tragic victims.
Japanese authorities have not yet confirmed the death toll provided by the Chinese envoy, saying AFP on Thursday that they could only confirm that two of the 13 bodies recovered are dead and nine people are still missing.
