10 Indian crewmen missing after ship sinks

Tokyo, Oct 13 : At least 10 Indian crew members were missing after their cargo ship sank on Friday some 600 km south of Ishigaki island of Okinawa prefecture, southwestern Japan, the Chinese Consulate-General said.
Sixteen of the 26 Indian crew aboard the Hong Kong-registered vessel had been rescued, while 10 others were still missing, said the Consulate-General, quoting information from the Japanese side.
Japan's 11th Regional Coast Guard Headquarters based in Naha, Okinawa, said earlier that it received an emergency call from the 33,205-tonne Emerald Star around 2 a.m. local time (1700 GMT Thursday) Friday.
The Japan Coast Guard said it had dispatched patrol boats and aircraft to rescue the missing crew, but the operations were hampered by a typhoon.
Earlier media reports said that 15 of the 26 Indian crew aboard the ship were rescued by ships nearby, and 11 were missing.