Last Ehime Maru families settle

Associated Press

TOKYO — The last two families of the 35 people aboard a Japanese fishing boat that sank after being hit by a U.S. Navy submarine off Hawai'i signed a settlement yesterday with the Navy over the deaths of their relatives.

The signing at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo ends all compensation negotiations involving the accident, said a lawyer representing the two families.

Nine of the 35 high-school students, teachers and crew aboard the Ehime Maru died when the USS Greeneville surfaced beneath it, sinking the training vessel off the coast of O'ahu on Feb. 9, 2001.

Yesterday's signing brings the total settlement paid to the families of the nine fatalities and 26 survivors to about $16.5 million, the U.S. Navy said in a statement. The figure includes a $13 million package for the other 33 families who signed in November.

Kyodo News reported that the compensation for the two families roughly matched that of the others.