A Japanese tour boat with more than two dozen people on board, including two children, went missing in waters off the northern island of Hokkaido early Saturday.
The 19-ton Kazu 1 made a distress call around 1:15 p.m. local time, alerting authorities that the ship was sinking and the bow of the ship was flooded. The boat carried 24 passengers and two crew members. Two of the passengers were children.
The boat was last seen off the western side of the Shiretoko Peninsula. The water off the peninsula is said to be just above freezing, and the region is known for drift ice.
Yoshihiko Yamada, a professor of marine sciences at Tokai University, said boats like the Kazu 1 probably didn’t carry a lifeboat. The ship was equipped with life jackets.
The ship likely ran aground and sank, he told local TBS television, adding it’s also possible the ship was struck by a whale – native to the area. Experts said fatal hypothermia was a definite possibility given the cold local temperatures.
The missing boat was carrying 26 passengers, including two children. Kyodo News via AP
Five Japan Coast Guard patrol boats and a helicopter were dispatched to comb the area for any sign of the boat or survivors, but nothing had turned up as of Saturday night local time. The country’s Air Self-Defense Force has also been activated, and Japan’s Ministry of Transport will set up a task force to investigate.
The tour boat is operated by Shiretoko Pleasure Cruiser, which declined media inquiries on Saturday.
“We have received many calls from the families of the passengers. We have to take care of it first,” a company spokesman told Kyodo News.
The Kazu 1 tourist boat was last seen on the Shiretoko Peninsula in Hokkaido, Japan. Kyodo/via REUTERS
Strong waves up to nine feet high and extreme winds have been observed in the area, and locals have reported fishing boats at sea have returned early due to inclement weather.
Kyodo News also reported that other boat operators had declined to sail that day because of bad weather.
“It was predicted that the waves would gradually increase. I wouldn’t have sailed in today’s conditions,” an industry insider said, according to Kyodo News.
Reporters surround the headquarters of Shiretoko Pleasure Cruiser, the company responsible for the missing Kazu 1 tourist boat, April 23, 2022 in Hokkaido, Japan. JIJI PRESS/AFP via Getty Images
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida instructed his cabinet to “do everything in its power to save lives,” the Japan Times reported.
Kishida, who was attending a two-day summit in southern Japan, abruptly canceled his Sunday schedule to return to Tokyo to address the crisis.
It’s not the first time the Kazu I has gotten into trouble. According to local Coast Guard records, the boat ran aground in an incident last June. No injuries were reported.
Pleasure Cruiser said they are handling calls “from the families of the passengers.” Kyodo News via AP
The Kazu 1 can accommodate up to 65 people. The Shiretoko Peninsula is a popular tourist destination and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005. The region is also home to a number of species including dolphins and brown bears.
With mail wires