3 rescued fishermen discharged from hospital

Saturday 31st October, 11:40 AM JST

HACHIJO ISLAND —

Three fishermen rescued after nearly four days from a capsized boat off Hachijo Island earlier this week were discharged Saturday morning from the hospital on the island where they were being treated, local officials said. The three fishermen—Moriyoshi Utsunomiya, 57, from Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture, Masao Hayakawa, 38, from Osaka, and Takamitsu Nyubara, 33, from Shizuoka—left the island on Japan Coast Guard helicopter for Shimoda port.

The three were rescued from the 19-ton Kofuku Maru No. 1 fishing boat after being trapped in a small space inside the upturned hull. The boat capsized last Saturday while it was sailing back to Shimoda port as a typhoon approached. The fishermen are in good physical health, and have a good appetite, according to the officials. After completing checkups on Friday, doctors approved their discharge, the officials said.

The three said they had spent about 90 hours in a small pocket of air inside the vessel after it rolled over around 8 p.m. Saturday, people who visited the fishermen at the hospital said.

The boat was found floating some 55 kilometers north-northeast of Hachijo Island on Wednesday morning.

Shingo Makiyama, the 40-year-old captain of the boat belonging to a fishing cooperative in Karatsu, Saga Prefecture, was found separately on a life raft but was later confirmed dead.

Three more crewmen are still missing and the Coast Guard is continuing to search for them.