Fire Occurs on MSDF Minesweeper; 1 Crew Member Missing

Tokyo, Nov. 10 (Jiji Press)--A fire broke out on a Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force minesweeper Sunday, leaving one of its crew members missing.

Around 9:50 a.m., the Japan Coast Guard's 7th regional headquarters in the city of Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture, southwestern Japan, was informed by staff personnel of the Ukushima minesweeper that a fire occurred in its engine room.

A 33-year-old petty officer 3rd class who was in the engine room has been missing, according to the MSDF and the coast guard. While the officer is believed to be trapped in the engine room, the fire extinguishing work has faced difficulties.

Sources including the MSDF said that the fire started near the ship's engine around 9:43 a.m. The Ukushima was about 2 kilometers north of Oshima, an island in the Fukuoka city of Munakata, when it reported the fire to the coast guard.

"We will make all-out efforts to extinguish the fire, but the possibility of the ship going down cannot be ruled out," Adm. Akira Saito, chief of staff of the MSDF, told a press conference Sunday night.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]