TOKYO: Fire broke out on a Chinese ship sailing near the western part of the country, causing one staff member to remain hospitalised due to smoking assembly, while another was missing, Japan’s military said on Sunday.
The minesweeper Ukushima was sailing off the coast of Kyushu on the island of Kyushu at around 9:40 a.m. local time ( 0040 GMT ), according to the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force ( JMSDF).
After its crew members, aside from the missing one, evacuated to another ship, Admiral Akira Saito later declared that firefighting efforts were still ongoing at 8:30 p.m. ( 1130 GMT ).
The fire broke out in Ukushima’s website space and various violent sound had been heard, but the reason was being investigated, Saito, the JMSDF chief of staff, told a press conference.
Second week’s minesweeper was heading to southeast Kyushu to conduct mine war drills.
According to Saito, Ukushima could fall if the fire continues to burn, adding that JMSDF has not experienced a warship sinking as a result of fire.
” We’ll do our best to extinguish the fire and search for the missing staff part”, he said.
