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 on a training voyage 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 left 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.
   The fire was extinguished by crew members of the Toyoshima minesweeper, which was near the Ukushima, and a coast guard ship. But it restarted shortly before 3 p.m.

(2024/11/10-22:13)

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