3 rescued, 3 missing after barge sinks off Japan's Nagasaki

TOKYO, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Three people were rescued but three remain missing after a barge sank in the early hours of Tuesday morning off Hirado in Japan's Nagasaki Prefecture, local media quoted the Japan Coast Guard as saying.

According to the coast guard, the boat, which weighed 100 tons and was carrying a crew of six, sank at around 3:40 a.m. local time after sending a distress signal.

The coast guard said the three rescued crew members are all fully conscious, and the search for the three missing crew members is continuing.