A Japanese tourist boat with more than two dozen people on board, including two children, disappeared early Saturday in the waters of the northern island of Hokkaido.
The 19-ton Kazu 1 made an emergency call at around 1:15 p.m. local time, warning authorities that the ship was sinking and the ship’s bow was flooded. The boat was carrying 24 passengers and two crew members. Two of the passengers were children.
The boat was last seen on the western side of the Shiretoko Peninsula. The waters of the peninsula are said to be just above zero, and the region is known for drifting ice.
Yoshihiko Yamada, a professor of marine science at Tokay University, said boats like Kazu 1 would probably not carry a lifeboat. The ship was equipped with life jackets.
The ship may have been stranded and sunk, he told local television station TBS, adding that it was also possible that the ship had been hit by a whale – a local in the area. Experts said the deadly hypothermia would be a separate possibility given the low local temperatures.
The missing boat was carrying 26 passengers, including two children. Kyodo News via AP
Five Japanese Coast Guard patrol boats and a helicopter have been sent to scratch the area for traces of the boat or survive, but so far have found nothing as of Saturday night local time. The country’s self-defense air force has also been activated, and Japan’s transport ministry will set up a task force to investigate.
The cruise ship is operated by Shiretoko Pleasure Cruiser, which rejected media inquiries on Saturday.
“We receive a lot of calls from the families of the passengers. We have to deal with that first, “a company spokesman told Kyodo News.
The tourist boat Kazu 1 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 say fishing boats at sea have returned early, citing bad weather.
Kyodo News also reported that other boat operators refused to sail that day due to bad weather.
“The forecast was that the waves would gradually rise. I wouldn’t sail in today’s conditions, “said an insider in the industry, according to Kyodo News.
Reporters surround the headquarters of Shiretoko Pleasure Cruiser, the company responsible for the missing Kazu 1 cruise ship in Hokkaido, Japan on April 23, 2022. JIJI PRESS / AFP via Getty Images
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has issued a directive to his cabinet to “do everything in his power to save lives,” the Japan Times reported.
Kishida, who attended a two-day summit in southern Japan, abruptly canceled his Sunday schedule to return to Tokyo to deal with the crisis.
This is not the first time Kazu has run into problems. The boat ran aground last June in an accident, according to local coast guard records. No casualties were reported.
Pleasure Cruiser has announced that it is processing calls from “passenger families.” Kyodo News via the AP
Kazu 1 can accommodate up to 65 people. The Shiretoko Peninsula is a popular tourist destination and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005. The region is also home to a number of species, including dolphins and brown bears.
With postal wires
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