Four people are confirmed dead as a result of a collision between a cargo ship and a fishing vessel off the coast of Aomori prefecture in northeastern Japan on Tuesday, March 17.
Local news outlet NHK said the incident between the 748-tonne cargo ship and the 140-tonne trawler occurred approximately 20 kilometres off the city of Misawa at around 01:00 local time on Tuesday.
The trawler capsized due to the force of the impact, and all who were on board fell into the sea.
Officials of the Japan Coast Guard said they learned of the incident upon being notified by the captain of the cargo ship at 01:20.
All 13 of the trawler's crew were subsequently pulled out of the water by 07:00. Tragically, however, four fishermen who were found unconscious were later pronounced deceased.
The coast guard said that the incident occurred in calm seas with wave heights of no more than one metre and that the fishermen were all wearing lifejackets by the time they were pulled from the water.
None of the cargo ship's six-strong crew suffered injuries from the collision.
The coast guard has already begun investigating the incident.