TOKYO, Japan (CNN) -- A freighter with 16 crew members aboard may have sunk after colliding with a second freighter in the Pacific Ocean off Izu Oshima Island, Japan's Kyodo news agency reported Tuesday.
The Japan Coast Guard told Kyodo it was investigating the incident, which took place about 2:20 a.m. Tuesday. Officials lost contact with the South Korean freighter Orchid Pia, which had seven South Koreans and nine Indonesians aboard, the news agency said.
The 4,255-ton Orchid Pia collided with the 10,833-ton Cygnus Ace, registered to Panama, Kyodo said. The Cygnus Ace, an automobile carrier with a 19-member crew, told the Japan Coast Guard it suffered damage to its bow but could navigate on its own, according to the news agency.
The collision took place about 13 kilometers (8 miles) east of Izu Oshima Island, southwest of Tokyo, Kyodo said. The Japan Coast Guard said visibility in the area at the time of the incident was poor because of rain, the news agency reported.