The Japan Coast Guard on Sunday recovered two bodies believed to be crew members of a suspected North Korean ship that sank off Kyushu after exchanging fire with Japanese patrol boats Saturday night, coast guard officials said.
Patrol boats retrieved the two bodies during its search for about 15 crew members believed to have abandoned the suspicious ship when it sank at around 10 p.m. Saturday in the East China Sea. Another body was spotted, but could not be retrieved, the officials said.
The clothing and belongings on the recovered bodies indicate a Korean connection.