One missing after MSDF vessel sinks due to fire off Fukuoka
Search efforts are under way after a crew member of a Maritime Self-Defense Force minesweeper went missing when the vessel caught fire and sank during a training exercise off the coast of the prefecture.
The Ukushima was sailing about 2.3 kilometers north of Oshima island when a fire broke out in its engine room at 9:45 a.m. on Nov. 10, according to authorities, The Asahi Shimbun reported.
A 33-year-old sailor, one of the two crew members stationed in the engine room, has been missing since the incident. The other sailor, in his 20s, has been rescued.
The remaining 36 crew members aboard the vessel evacuated to another minesweeper.
The fire died down as the ship capsized just after midnight. The vessel eventually sank around 8:30 a.m., according to the Defense Ministry.
The 54-meter-long minesweeper, with a displacement of 510 tons, was built with a wooden hull to resist magnetic mines.
The training voyage was part of preparations for joint drills with the U.S. Navy scheduled later this month.
