The Japan Times reports that two people are confirmed dead while three others have gone missing after a fishing vessel capsized off the coast of Ibaraki prefecture in eastern Japan on Monday, January 6.
The incident occurred at around 02:08 local time on Monday when the 80-tonne purse seiner Ohama Maru No 8 overturned approximately 31 kilometres east of Kashima Port in the city of Kitaibaraki.
The Japan Coast Guard led the subsequent search and rescue (SAR) effort, which also included some nearby Good Samaritan vessels.
Ohama Maru No 8's 20-strong crew at the time of the incident included 15 Japanese and five Indonesian nationals. Of this number, 17 have been rescued while two are confirmed dead and three were reportedly thrown overboard and have not yet been found.
The deceased and the missing crewmen have all been identified as Japanese nationals aged between 40 and 80.
A survivor later told coast guard investigators that the vessel tilted heavily and overturned after one of its nets caught a large quantity of fish.
The coast guard is continuing to conduct SAR operations off Kitaibaraki to attempt to locate the missing crewmen.
The crews of other vessels that were also in the area when the capsizing occurred told local news outlet NHK that the conditions at the time were calm, making it unlikely that the weather was a contributing factor in the tragedy.