South Korean Ship Hits Breakwater; 6 Killed
A South Korean cargo ship, buffeted by strong winds and waves, hit a breakwater in northern Japan, killing six crew members and leaving one missing.
The Marine Osaka had a crew of 16 -- eight from South Korea and eight from Myanmar -- when the accident occurred in Otaru, said Japanese coast guard official Koki Tomiyama.
Otaru is on the island of Hokkaido, 525 miles northwest of Tokyo. The vessel had lowered its anchor near port when powerful waves and gusts swept it into a breakwater, Tomiyama said.
Fifteen of the crew members were picked up by a coast guard helicopter and taken to a hospital, where six of them were declared dead, he said.
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