8 dead, 2 missing as South Korean-flagged tanker capsizes off western Japan

March 20 (UPI) -- A South Korean-flagged chemical tanker anchored off western Japan capsized Wednesday, according to authorities who have launched a search-and-rescue mission for two crew members still missing.

Nine of the crew members were rescued and transported to hospitals but eight died and one survived with no life-threatening injuries.

The Japan coast guard has identified the vessel as the Keoyoung Sun tanker, according to Japan's NHK News, which reported the ship was anchored near Yamaguchi Prefecture's Mutsurejima Island.

The coast guard said aircraft and patrol ships were conducting search and rescue operations for the two missing crew members and the South Korean foreign ministry sent an officer to the scene while working with agencies.

"We are checking the status of the rescue of our nationals and have dispatched a consular officer to the scene," a foreign ministry official told Yonhap.

The vessel had anchored off the island due to bad weather, the coast guard said, adding that it received a distress call from the ship at about 7 a.m. local time, stating that it was tilting over.

The 11-member crew consisted of two South Koreans, eight Indonesians and one Chinese, the coast guard said.

Shipping websites list Keoyoung Sun as a 223-foot-long chemical and oil products tanker.