TOKYO - Nine Chinese crew members were missing after two cargo chips collided at the mouth of Tokyo Bay early Tuesday, Japan's coastguard said.
The Panamanian-flagged Beagle III, a 12,630-ton container vessel, sank after colliding with the South Korean-registered Pagasus Prime in the Uraga waterway. The accident happened at about 3:10 am (1810 GMT Monday).
"Twenty crew members, all Chinese, were on board the Beagle, of whom 11 have been rescued," a coastguard official said.
Patrol ships and a helicopter were continuing to search for the missing crew members about five hours after the accident, the official said.
The crew on the 7,406-ton Pegasus Prime were unhurt.
The sea was not believed to be rough at the time of the collision, according to the coastguard.
