Trio missing after tanker blast

Only the stern of the 4,386-TON tanker Sunny Jewel remains above water in the Sea of Iyo off Nagahama, Ehime Prefecture, Thursday morning after a nighttime explosion.

MATSUYAMA, Ehime Pref. (Kyodo) Three crew members were still missing Thursday following an explosion aboard a Panamanian-registered tanker in the Sea of Iyo off the town of Nagahama, Ehime Prefecture, the previous night, Japan Coast Guard officials said.

The 4,386-ton Sunny Jewel was about 20 km west-northwest of Nagahama when the explosion occurred, around 10:30 p.m. Although the ensuing fire was extinguished about 2 1/2 hours later, two Filipinos and one South Korean were missing, according to officials of the 6th Regional Coast Guard Headquarters.

The 15 other crew members -- 10 Filipinos and five South Koreans -- were rescued.

The tanker was heading toward Oita Prefecture, having unloaded its cargo at the port of Kikuma, Ehime Prefecture, the officials said. They added that the explosion took place while the three missing men were cleaning the tanks.