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At least 7 dead as chemical tanker Keoyoung Sun carrying 1,000 tons of acid capsizes in storm off coast of Japan
Watch footage of the boat being swallowed by choppy waters
AT least seven people have died and two remain missing after a South Korean-flagged chemical tanker capsized off the coast of Japan.
The vessel, carrying almost 1,000 tonnes of acid, overturned during a storm prompting an urgent rescue operation involving a helicopter.
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Japanese coastguard rushed to help the crew of 11, but only nine have been found so far.
Rescue workers are still searching for two more who were onboard when disaster struck at 7am on Wednesday local time (10pm GMT on Tuesday).
The condition of the two survivors remains unknown.
Crew onboard the Keoyoung Sun sent out a distress call as the tanker struggled off the coast of Japan’s Mutsure Island.
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They were sheltering from bad weather when the tanker started to tilt.
Waves were as high as 3.5 metres during the storm, swallowing the boat.
Dramatic footage from shows the boat being thrown around in choppy waters and a rescue helicopter hovering above hauling a member of the crew up to safety.
The crew included two South Korean, one Chinese and eight Indonesian workers.
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The boat was anchored off the coast of Mutsure Island, near Honshu at the time.
Honshu, Japan's main island, is about 1,000km from Tokyo.
Officials said the tanker was carrying 980 tons of acrylic acid.
No leak has been detected yet but environmental protections could be put in place if any acrylic acid did leak from the tanker.
The chemical is used in plastics, resin and coatings and can irritate human skin and eyes according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
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