Tokyo - Six members of the Russian-Ukrainian crew from the crab fishing vessel Taigan were killed in a fire that broke out onboard the vessel at a Japanese port, the local authorities told reporters.
The Cambodian-flagged boat caught fire at Wakkanai Port on Hokkaido Island in northern Japan on Wednesday, May 15 evening. Some of its 23 crewmembers managed to leave the vessel on their own, but another six found themselves trapped.
The fire continued for almost 11 hours. After it was extinguished, rescuers boarded the vessel, where they found the dead bodies of these six sailors.
Japan’s police and coast guard have reported that six crewmembers were hospitalized, but their injuries are not life-threatening.
