The US Navy will pay about $13 million in compensation to the victims of a collision between one of its nuclear submarines and a Japanese fishing boat, Kyodo news agency said today.
Nine people, mostly teenage trainee fishermen, were killed when the Ehime Maru was rammed by the surfacing submarine off the coast of Hawaii on February 9th last year.
The families of seven of the nine dead as well as those of the 26 survivors have agreed on the deal, which covers compensation for the fatalities and treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder, Kyodo said, quoting sources familiar with the case.
The agreement is to be signed in November after more than a year of negotiations, Kyodo said.
Lawyers representing the families of two other victims are still in negotiations about compensation, the article said.
No representatives of the United States Forces in Japan were available to comment today.