Two shipyard workers have died while working on a newbuilding bulker at an Imabari Shipbuilding yard in Japan.

According to local reports, the two men were discovered collapsed at a yard in the town of of Tadotsu in Kagawa Prefecture.

They were in the ballaast tank of a 140,000-dwt coal carrier, which was being outfitted at the yard, at 8:30am local time on Tuesday (23:30 GMT on Monday).