Sub victims families may sue

Families of two people killed when a training vessel was sunk by a US Navy submarine are likely to sue the US government, according to reports.

Representatives of families will meet lawyers in Tokyo on Monday to discuss the issue and make a final decision on whether to file the suit.

It says they believe it would help reveal the truth about the accident involving the Ehime Maru off Hawaii.

Yusuke Terata, a 17-year-old student at Uwajima Fisheries High School in Uwajima, and Toshimichi Furuya, 47, a crew member on the Ehime Maru, were among the nine who died when the ship was hit and sunk by the USS Greeneville.

The accident occurred while the submarine was conducting a rapid-surfacing drill.

Ryosuke Terata, Yusuke's father, and Furuya's younger brother, Otoyoshi, are expected to be at the meeting, according to reports.

In April, the US Navy Court of Inquiry concluded several actions on the part of the Greeneville's crew were to blame for the tragedy, and recommended the captain and fire control operator face non-judicial punishments rather than a court martial.

Lawyers for the victims' families claimed the Greeneville crew exercised "gross negligence".