Cargo ship sinks between South Korea, Japan; 5 crew rescued

South Korean and Japanese coast guards were searching for 17 crewmembers of a cargo ship that sank early Wednesday in waters between South Korea and Japan, South Korean officials said Wednesday.

The coast guard of the southern South Korean island of Jeju said five crewmembers were rescued by nearby vessels after the 6,551-ton Jin Tian sank about 150 kilometers (93 miles) south of the island while transporting lumber.

It said 14 crewmembers on the Hong Kong-flagged ship are Chinese and eight are from Myanmar. It said the ship's captain last communicated with the coast guard through a satellite phone at around 2:41 a.m., informing officials the crewmembers will abandon ship.

No one was found in the three life rafts and two lifeboats searched by South Korean coast guard crews who later arrived on a speedboat.

Strong wind warnings have been issued at the site of the sinking where Japanese coast guard vessels and aircraft were searching for survivors with nearby commercial vessels.

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