TOKYO, March 20, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Seven people were unaccounted for Wednesday after a South Korea-flagged chemicals tanker with 11 people on board capsized in rough seas off Japan, national broadcaster NHK reported.

Four people from the crew -- which included two Koreans, eight Indonesians and one Chinese -- had been rescued so far, NHK reported.

NHK footage showed the overturned red hull of the ship as well as a life raft, as a coast guard ship pounded through heavy waves and a helicopter flew overhead.

The crew notified the coast guard early on Wednesday that the vessel was tilting and requested help near the island of Mutsure, off Japan's southwestern coast, NHK said.

The NHK report did not provide details on what kind of chemicals the tanker was carrying or whether they had leaked.