Twenty-eight passengers and crew were lifted to safety from a ferry that rolled on to its side in rough seas about 12 miles off western Japan.
Ariake, a commercial ferry, began listing early yesterday, prompting a swift response from the Japan coastguard. Six patrol boats and four aircraft reached the area soon afterwards, and all aboard were lifted to safety or plucked from the water after jumping overboard.
One passenger, a 70-year-old man, and the chief engineer of the ferry were reported to have suffered minor injuries.