TOKYO: One Chinese crew member was killed and nine were missing after two cargo ships collided at the mouth of Tokyo Bay early yesterday, Japan’s coastguard said.
The Panamanian-flagged Beagle III, a 12,630-tonne vessel carrying steel coil, descended after colliding with the South Korean-registered Pegasus Prime in the Uraga waterway.
12 of the 20 Chinese crew aboard Beagle III were rescued but one of them was later confirmed to be dead, an official said.
“We are continuing to search for the eight others still missing” he added.
The Japanese coastguard had sent two helicopters and one plane as well as 17 patrol ships to the site.
The crew of the 7,406-tonne Pegasus Prime -- six South Koreans and eight people from Myanmar -- were mostly unhurt, but two Koreans sustained minor injuries when they tried to lower a lifeboat, the Japanese official said.
The sea was not believed to be rough at the time of the collision, according to the coastguard.
Thailand nabs known hacker
BANGKOK: An infamous computer hacker has been arrested in Thailand at the request of Switzerland on suspicion of hacking into bank computer systems in Europe, an official said yesterday.
Farid Essebar, who has dual Moroccan-Russian nationality, was detained in Bangkok last week, according to Police Colonel Songsak Raksaksakul of the Department of Special Investigation, Thailand’s equivalent of the FBI.
“He is wanted under an international arrest warrant for deception and hacking the IT systems of financial institutions,” Songsak said.
A Thai court will now decide whether to extradite the 27-year-old suspect to Switzerland, which sought the international warrant.
Police are searching for two more Russian suspects from the same gang believed to be in Thailand.
Agencies
