60 rescued after North Korean fishing vessel collides with patrol boat belonging to Japan's Fisheries Agency

A North Korean fishing vessel collided with a Fisheries Agency patrol boat Monday morning inside Japan's exclusive economic zone off the coast of the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture. About 60 fishers were thrown into the sea, according to media reports.

All members were rescued unhurt, the reports said. The surviving members were expected to be handed over to North Korea according to an international treaty.

The collision took place in an area known as Yamatotai, located 350 kilometers northwest of the Noto Peninsula, where illegal fishing by North Korean fishers is rampant. The fishing boat sank at around 9:25 a.m., while the Fisheries Agency's 1,300-ton patrol boat, the Okuni, was able to operate on its own, according to the Japan Coast Guard.