A patrol vessel carries out rescue work at the site where a fishing boat sank earlier in the day in the waters off Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan, April 14, 2009. A 135-ton ship carrying 22 people on board capsized Tuesday in the waters off Nagasaki Prefecture, leaving 12 fishermen missing, local media reported, citing the Japan Coast Guard. [Xinhua]

A 135-ton ship capsized Tuesday in the waters off Nagasaki Prefecture, leaving 12 fishermen missing, local media reported, citing the Japan Coast Guard.

A total of 22 people were on board when Daiei Maru No. 11 overturned at around 8:00 a.m. local time (2300 GMT), but only 10 of them were rescued by fishing boats operating nearby, according to the coast guard.

Local police and firefighters said that the rescued were not seriously injured and could walk by themselves while 12 people remained unaccounted for.

A fishing vessel carries out rescue work at the site where a fishing boat sank earlier in the day in the waters off Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan, April 14, 2009. A 135-ton ship carrying 22 people on board capsized Tuesday in the waters off Nagasaki Prefecture, leaving 12 fishermen missing, local media reported, citing the Japan Coast Guard. [Xinhua]

(Xinhua News Agency April 14, 2009)