Five Vietnamese sailors missing as vessel sinks off Japan

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Vessel Guo Xing 1, bearing the flag of Belize, sinks in waters 12km to the east of Tomari Port in Aomori, Japan. (Photo: vessels4sale.blogspot.com)

Five Vietnamese sailors were reported missing after a cargo vessel sank off the coast of Aomori prefecture in Japan on February 29, according to a Vietnamese official.

Vessel Guo Xing 1, bearing the flag of Belize, sank after colliding with a Japanese fishing boat in waters 12km to the east of Tomari Port in Aomori, said First Secretary of the Vietnamese Embassy in Japan Nguyen An Tien.

On board the cargo vessel were 14 crew members, including six Vietnamese, seven Chinese and a Filipino. Only one sailor, a 34-year-old Vietnamese national named Nguyen Van Hai from Hai Phong, survived after he was saved by another boat nearby.

The others were still unaccounted for, he said.

The diplomat noted that Hai is in good condition and wishes to return home. The embassy has worked with Japanese authority to ensure his rights, he added.

Five missing Vietnamese sailors are Nguyen Van Thao, 30, from Nghe An; Ho Quang Tho, 40, from Binh Dinh; Nguyen Viet Khanh, 30, Nguyen Van Truong, 28, and Phan Hong Quan, 29, from Hai Phong.

The Japan Coast Guard has sent patrol ships to the site to search for those mising, Tien said, adding that the Vietnamese Embassy will continue updating on the incident and actively working with the Japanese authority to protect the citizens’ rights.