Tokyo: Three crew members from a Japanese fishing vessel died after the boat collided with a Russian ship off the northern island of Hokkaido Wednesday.
There were five crew members on board the 9.7-ton crab-fishing boat when it collided with the 662-ton Russian AMUR ship and capsized, Kyodo News reported, citing local authorities.
A rescue mission retrieved all five, but a 64-year-old chief engineer and two crew members in their 30s were later confirmed dead, and another member was injured, Kyodo said.
The incident took place about 23 kilometres north-east of Monbetsu Port on Hokkaido at around 6 am (2100 GMT Tuesday), the report said.
The Japan Coast Guard is investigating what caused the incident.
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