Thirteen Chinese fishermen die in boat collision off Japan

Thirteen Chinese fishermen died after their boat collided with a Hong Kong oil tanker in international waters off Japan, state media Xinhua reported on Friday.

Three people were found alive after Thursday’s collision. It was not known if there was any damage to the tanker or what caused the accident.

The Chinese vessel, the 290-tonne “Lurong Yuanyu 378", had 16 Chinese-national crew members in total.

The two vessels collided 400 kilometres north of the Oki Islands in the Sea of Japan, also known as the East Sea, east of North Korea, Xinhua reported.

The identities of the victims have not yet been confirmed, it said.

The 290-tonne Chinese fishing vessel Lurong Yuanyu 378 had 16 people on board, according to the South China Morning Post.

All 21 crew members aboard the 63,294-tonne Hong Kong ship, Bright Oil Lucky, were safe, it said.

 Japan had deployed three patrol boats to search for the missing crew, after responding to a plea for help from their Chinese counterparts.