Two South Korean and Japanese fishing boats collided in the Sea of Japan on Thursday morning, about 330 km (205 miles) northeast of an island claimed by both countries, South Korea’s media reported.
The 48-tonne South Korean trawler was sinking after the collision, which occurred around 9:38am local time (0038 GMT), media quoted the Coast Guard as saying.
A rescue team saved 13 sailors and was still searching for more survivors, media said.
Japan’s top government spokesman confirmed the collision and said there had been no casualties on the Japanese side.
