Posted at 5:07 p.m., Saturday, October 27, 2001
Eighth body identified as Ehime Maru student
By Jean Christensen
Associated Press
The eighth body recovered from the Ehime Maru was identified today as Navy divers continued their search for the only victim of the sinking of the Japanese fishing vessel who has not been found.
The city medical examiner's office identified remains recovered Thursday from the wreckage as those of 17-year-old Uwajima Fisheries High School student Yusuke Terata.
That left 17-year-old student Takeshi Mizuguchi as the only of the nine victims still unaccounted for. Divers were searching in rainy weather today for Mizuguchi.
They were scheduled to have their first day off tomorrow after searching more than 65 percent of the 190-foot fishing boat over the past two weeks.
The Navy had earlier considered it likely that divers would find no more than five to seven of those killed in the sinking.
Terata's family was told it was possible that the teen-ager had been swept out to sea after the Ehime Maru was struck by the USS Greeneville submarine on Feb. 9.
"Every time we do find someone, for us, it's an accomplishment and something that we're proud of," said Lt. j.g. K.C. Choi, a Navy spokesman. "We're grateful mostly because it helps the families. That's what's the most important, to give some peace of mind to the families."
The Ehime Maru sank quickly in 2,000 feet of water after the Greeneville accidentally rammed the boat the while demonstrating a rapid-surfacing drill for 16 civilian guests. Twenty-six people were rescued.
The wreckage was towed to 115-foot-deep waters south of Honolulu International Airport earlier this month so divers could safely search for those killed.
The other victims of the sinking who have been found and identified are fisheries school instructors Hiroshi Makisawa, 37, and Jun Nakata, 33; Hiroshi Nishida, 49, the first engineer; Toshimichi Furuya, 47, the chief engineer; Hirotaka Segawa, 60, the chief radio operator; and students Toshiya Sakashima and Katsuya Nomoto, both 17.
Yusuke Terata: Student aboard the Ehime Maru