Benzene fumes overcome, kill three on chemical tanker in Tokyo Bay

Three crew members aboard a chemical tanker sailing in Tokyo Bay died of chemical poisoning Monday while cleaning a tank that had been carrying benzene, a Japan Coast Guard official said. The 263-ton Shuho Maru was traveling some 1.2 km east of Haneda airport when the coast guard received a message from the tanker just before 2 p.m. that one crew member had fallen down on the deck and the other two had collapsed inside the tank.