Seven of the 26 people on board a missing tourist boat in Japan have been found, but the country’s coast guard cannot confirm whether any of them are alive.
Rescuers found four people near the top of the Shiretoko Peninsula, in the northern island of Hokkaido, earlier Sunday, and then three more in the same area a few hours later.
The location is known as a difficult place to maneuver boats because of its rocky shore.
The same tourist boat, the 19-ton Kazu 1, crashed there last year.
Image: The cruise ship was traveling off the west coast of the Shiretoko Peninsula, in the northern island of Hokkaido. Photo: AP
The boat, carrying 24 passengers, including two children and two crew members, disappeared after sending a distress signal on Saturday, saying it had taken water and was sinking.
The crew said the people on board were wearing life jackets and the boat was tilted at a 30-degree angle.
Sunday’s rescue came after nearly 7 hours of intense search involving six patrol boats, several planes and divers. The Coast Guard said the search continued into the night.
High waves and strong winds were observed in the area around 12 pm on Saturday, a local fishing cooperative said.
Local media reported that the fishing boats returned to the port before noon due to bad weather.
NHK reported that there was a warning for waves up to three meters (almost 10 feet) high.
Yoshihiko Yamada, a professor of marine science at Tokai University, said the boat may have been stranded after being ejected by high waves, then damaged and flooded before possibly sinking.
The academician also said there was little chance the boat had been hit by a whale.
The operator’s website says the tour takes about three hours and offers scenic views of the west coast of the peninsula, including animals such as whales, dolphins and brown bears.
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