A Chinese diplomat says 12 people are missing after their fishing boat collided with an oil tanker in waters near Japan.
An official surnamed Sun at the Chinese consulate-general in Osaka said 16 crew members were aboard the Chinese fishing boat when it capsized after colliding with the Hong Kong-registered tanker early Thursday.
Four were rescued while the others remain missing. The collision occurred 400 kilometres (250 miles) north of the Oki Islands in western Japan.
Sun said by phone that the consulate has activated an emergency plan and that Japanese authorities have dispatched three rescue ships.
This content appears as provided to The Globe by the originating wire service. It has not been edited by Globe staff.