One dead and six missing after Taiwanese fishing boat capsizes near disputed Japan islands

Taiwan’s foreign ministry confirms vessel to be a fishing boat registered by the country

Screengrab from a video showing a part of the disputed Senkaku Islands that is controlled by Japan but claimed by China ( Al Jazeera English / YouTube)

One person died and six were missing after a boat capsized near a group of disputed Japanese islands.

Local reports said the overturned boat was spotted on Sunday afternoon, drifting in waters north of the islands by a Japanese navy patrol in the area.

Japan coastguard spokesman Keisuke Nakao was quoted as saying by agencies that the boat was found in waters off the disputed Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea.

The Senkaku Islands are a group of islands located in Ishigaki City, Okinawa Prefecture, which include Uotsuri, Kitakojima, Minami Kojima, Kuba, Taisho, Okinokitaiwa, Okinominamiiwa and Tobise Islands, according to Japan’s foreign ministry.

They are controlled by Japan but claimed by China under the name Diaoyu.

There were seven people aboard the boat.

It is believed that the body is likely to be of one of the seven missing crew that consisted of one Taiwanese national and six Indonesians.

Local media said the coastguard is continuing the search for the crew with patrol vessels and aircraft.

“At around 9.15am (Monday), a body was found inside the cabin by divers, and an ID on the body suggests it was an Indonesian man,” said coastguard spokesman Masaya Tokita.

Patrol ships and helicopters were sent for the rescue operation after Japan’s Maritime Self-Defence Force first informed the coastguard on Sunday afternoon around 1.30pm.

Taiwan’s foreign ministry later said in a statement that the vessel was a Taiwan-registered fishing boat.

“The National Rescue Command Center has contacted Taiwanese fishing boats near the site of the accident to assist in the search. Taiwan and Japan’s coastguards have also dispatched ships for search and rescue,” the statement said.

The boat left northern Taiwan’s Keelung port last week on 27 February and had tried to contact a Taiwanese fishing boat nearby for help on Sunday.

According to Taiwan’s fisheries agency, the capsized boat’s registered name is “Shin Charng Fa No 88”.

The boat is believed to have capsized around 150km north of Ishigaki Island in Japan’s southern island prefecture of Okinawa and about 40km east of Kuba Island, one of the Senkakus.