Japan finds capsized fishing boat, 8 still missing

Tokyo: Japanese rescuers on Thursday spotted a boat that capsized a day earlier, leaving one dead, but have yet to find the eight men still missing after the accident, officials said.

The 76-tonne fishing boat Daifukumaru capsized in the Sea of Japan just off Shimane prefecture on the western coast early Wednesday morning, leaving one dead and eight missing.

Two coast guard divers spotted the boat some 45 metres (149 feet) below the surface near the site of the accident after a sonar and an underwater camera found a fishnet, a Japan Coast Guard spokesman said.

The nine crew members include eight Japanese and one Indonesian. The man confirmed dead on Wednesday was identified as Yoshihiro Sakamoto, 54, the spokesman said.

Patrol boats, aircraft and divers are continuing to search for the other eight, including skipper Yasushi Okishima, 53, and the Indonesian Wi Yang, 21, the spokesman said.