(3rd LD) 8 dead, 2 missing after S. Korean chemical tanker capsizes off western Japan

A South Korean chemical tanker capsized off Japan's west coast Wednesday, claiming eight lives with two still missing, Japan's coast guard officials said. The Keoyoung Sun vessel, carrying 11 crew members, made a distress call to the Japanese Coast Guard at around 7 a.m., reporting that it was tilting in waters near an island of the Shimonoseki city in the Yamaguchi Prefecture. Of the 11 crew members on board -- two South Koreans, eight Indonesians and one Chinese -- nine have been rescued and two others were unaccounted for. The nine rescued were transported to a hospital, but eight of them died, Japanese news outlets reported. The ninth rescued crew member, known to be from Indonesia, is reportedly in stable condition. But it remained unclear if the South Koreans were rescued or dead as of 10 p.m. The ship was apparently anchoring due to high waves and strong winds. The coast guard said its aircraft and patrol ships were conducting rescue operations. South Korea's foreign ministry said it has set u p an overseas citizens protection task force in response to the incident, and checked the progress of search and rescue in the area. "We are checking the status of the rescue of our nationals and have dispatched a consular officer to the scene," a foreign ministry official said. Source: Yonhap News Agency