Two cargo ships collided Friday morning in the Seto Inland Sea off Himeji, Hyogo Prefecture, killing two men and injuring another, the Japan Coast Guard has said.
The dead were identified as Fumihiko Kita, 50, the captain of the 499-ton Yamato Maru No. 8, and Muneyuki Hamabuchi, a 28-year-old male engineer on the same ship. Another crew member sustained minor injuries, according to the coast guard.
The Yamato Maru No. 8, owned by a company in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, capsized after colliding with the 499-ton Hoshou Maru, owned by a sea shipping company in Imabari, Ehime Prefecture. The collision occurred near Ieshima Island.
Five people aboard the Hoshou Maru were unhurt, and the vessel sailed to Himeji port after the accident, the coast guard said.
The weather was fine in the area at the time of the collision.