Beijing: A Chinese fishing boat caught fire off the Japanese coast, leaving six people dead and two injured (one badly), an official from the Chinese Consulate General in Fukuoka told Xinhua.
The tragedy occurred about 280km northwest of Amami Island, Kagoshima Prefecture in southern Japan at about 2.20pm local time, the official said.
According to the official, there are 24 crew members on board of the Zhejiang registered boat, all are Chinese.
One of the wounded people has been transferred by a passing Chinese boat.
Bangkok blast injures two
Bangkok: Two people were injured when an explosive was hurled into an anti-government rally site in Bangkok early yesterday.
The Bangkok Post quoted police as saying they suspected the attack was carried out by opponents of the protesters trying bring down the government of caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.
The predawn blast at the rally site at the Chaeng Wattana government complex in northern Bangkok wounded one demonstrator and one security guard, according to police.
6.5 earthquake shakes Vanuatu
Kuala Lumpur: A 6.5-magnitude earthquake jolted the Vanuatu islands Friday, the US Geological Survey said.
There were no reports of injuries or damage. The earthquake did not pose a tsunami threat, the Malaysian Meteorological Department said. The epicentre was 326 miles southeast of Lata in the Solomon Islands, the Bernama news agency reported.
The earthquake was centred 16 miles from Port-Olry, 33 miles from Luganville and 195 miles from Port Villa.
Agencies
