A warship caught fire and overturned in the sea in Japan, there are casualties (VIDEO)

This is reported by Kyodo, Ukrinform reports.

The incident occurred with the ship of the Japanese Navy "Ukushima" (Ukushima) approximately 2,5 kilometers from the coast of the southwestern prefecture of Fukuoka.

The minesweeper, on which there were about 40 crew members, reported a fire in the engine room at around 9:50 a.m. on Sunday.

Self-defense and coast guard ships arrived to extinguish the fire and evacuate the ship's crew, but it was not possible to completely extinguish the flames. At about midnight, the ship capsized, and by Monday morning only a part of it remained above water.

As a result of the extraordinary event, the officer who was in the engine room, where the ship's engine is located, at the time of the fire, is considered missing. His search continues.

Another sailor, who was on duty with the missing officer and suffered minor injuries, was taken to the hospital. Nothing threatens his life.

The rest of the crew was saved and was not injured.

The cause of the incident is being investigated.

Ships like the Ukushima are designed to search for, detect and destroy sea mines and have wooden hulls to prevent mines from detonating on contact. It is assumed that it was because of this that the fire could not be extinguished quickly.

Photo: Kyodo