2 Ships Collide Off Northeast Japan, 13 Crewmen Missing

Following a collision with a large cargo ship off northeast Japan, 13 crewmen from a 22-man fishing vessel are missing, according to the Japanese Coast Guard.

The 119-ton Horiei Maru and the 25,047-ton Panamanian Nikkei Tiger [pictured in thumb image] collided about 900 kilometers east of Sendai in the Pacific Ocean around 2:30 a.m. Sunday, reports the Washington Post.

The smaller ship may have sunk, but reports remain unclear currently. Two Shiogama Coast Guard rescue planes were deployed to search for any survivors.

Nine members of the fishing boat’s crew were rescued by another nearby fishing vessel. Twelve of the missing men are Japanese, and one is Indonesian. The cargo ship and its crew of 21 were unaffected overall.