The Japan Coast Guard confirmed the deaths of 10 people, who were found by rescue workers on Sunday after a tourist boat went missing in the icy waters of the country’s northernmost island.
Teams are looking for people who were on a boat that had trouble in Japan
Authorities continued to search for the other 16 people on board the Kazu I using patrol boats, planes and helicopters when the ship ran into trouble near Shiretoko Peninsula on the island of Hokkaido on Saturday.
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2 of 3 Map showing where the Shiretoko Peninsula is located on the island of Hokkaido, Japan — Photo: g1
Map shows where the Shiretoko Peninsula is located on the island of Hokkaido, Japan — Photo: g1
Nine of the 10 animals found were in the water or on nearby rocks, the Coast Guard said. There were 24 passengers, including two children, and two crew members on board. The children are still missing.
Floating ice could be seen in the sea around the area until March and the water temperature would be around 2 to 3 degrees Celsius at this time of year, an official at a local fisheries cooperative told Reuters. “You start to lose consciousness a few minutes after stepping into that kind of water,” he said.
3 of 3 Aerial view of a section of the Shiretoko Peninsula, Japan — Photo: AP
Aerial view of a section of the Shiretoko Peninsula, Japan — Photo: AP
On Saturday afternoon, the crew informed the Coast Guard that water was inundating the boat. The final contact came about an hour later, when the boat warned its operating company that it would fall at a 30degree angle, Kyodo News reported.
The Coast Guard said it was unclear what happened to the boat. The company that operated the Kazu could not be reached for comment. High waves and strong winds were observed in the region on Saturday noon (local time), Kyodo said.