UPDATEThe Japanese coast guard rescued nine people on a tour boat that ran into trouble on Saturday west of the Shiretoko nature reserve near the northern island of Hokkaido. They were found unconscious in the icy water early Sunday morning (local time), local media reported. There is still no trace of the other 17 people on board and the boat itself.
There were 24 passengers on board KAZU I, including two children, as well as the captain and a crew member. All were wearing life jackets. Rescuers spent all night searching for survivors from the air and by boat in the water that is only two to three degrees Celsius.
The captain reported around noon on Saturday that the ship was listing and in danger of sinking. After that there was no more radio contact. According to authorities in the nearby town of Shari, waves in this part of the Sea of Okhotsk were high. Due to the rough seas, many fishing boats returned to port early on Saturday. The meteorological service had warned of an approaching low pressure area with increasing winds.
A helicopter and patrol boats rushed out for the rescue to the specified site near the Shiretoko Peninsula, a UNESCO-recognized nature reserve. According to the Japanese public broadcaster ‘NHK’ told the crew that the bow of their boat was making water and the hull had tilted about 30 degrees as a result and was sinking. After that, contact with the crew members was lost. Search helicopters did not arrive in the area until four hours after the emergency call.
Nothing is known about the nationality of the tourists.
drift ice
The boat was sailing in front of Kashuni Falls, a famous scenic spot near the tip of the peninsula, according to the Mainichi Shimbun, one of Japan’s leading newspapers, when the Coast Guard received the distress call. According to the operator’s website, the boat can accommodate as many as 65 people.
Located on the peninsula in northeastern Hokkaido, the northernmost of Japan’s four main islands, Shiretoko National Park is known as a popular drift ice spotting destination. It was designated a World Heritage Site in 2005 and is a habitat for many rare animal and plant species.
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