Japanese Tankship Explosion: One Missing Four Injured

A fuel tanker has exploded in waters off Hyogo Prefecture, western Japan, leaving the captain missing and four crew members badly injured, according to Xinhua.

There were eight crew members on board, seven of them have been rescued, reports Xinhua, citing a local fire department source. The missing captain is 64- year-old Masaichi Ando.

According to a Coast Guard official, the 988-ton vessel was anchored about two kilometers south of the Himeji Port, which lies 450 kilometers west of Tokyo. It had already unloaded heavy fuel oil at a port, but black smoke was seen billowing from the ship, up to 100-meter high.

Source: Xinhua