It has been confirmed that ten people who were on board a tourist boat that sank off the coast of Japan have died, while 16 others are still unknown.
The 19-ton Kazu 1 disappeared on Saturday afternoon with 26 people on board during a cruise off the main northern island of Hokkaido.
The country’s coast guard said the 10 were found on the Shiretoko Peninsula and taken to hospital, but did not survive.
The average sea temperature in Shiretoko National Park at this time of year is slightly above zero.
Image: The cruise ship was traveling off the west coast of the Shiretoko Peninsula, in the northern island of Hokkaido. Photo: AP
The location is known as a difficult place to maneuver boats because of its rocky shore and the same tourist boat had an accident there last year.
A square-shaped orange lifeboat with the boat’s name was also spotted on the rocky shore.
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 said it had 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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