The crew of a South Korean fishing boat were rescued Wednesday morning after their boat sank in the Sea of Japan off Shimane Prefecture, Japan Coast Guard officials said.
The coast guard dispatched two patrol boats and two helicopters to the site where the 69-ton 27 Nam Young, with 10 South Korean crew members aboard, sank around 9:50 a.m., some 21 km north of the cape of Nagaohana in Hirata, they said.
One of the helicopters spotted a lifeboat with all 10 crew members aboard near the site, they said, adding the crew were brought ashore by the afternoon and taken to hospitals. All 10 are in good condition.
Officials said the boat may have sunk due to foul weather conditions. Winds were gusting up to 97 km per hour and waves were as high as 4 meters at the time the boat capsized. A snowstorm warning had also been issued, they said.