Xinhua News Agency
TOKYO — Ten people were confirmed dead Sunday after a tourist boat with a total of 26 passengers and crew aboard went missing off eastern Hokkaido in north Japan on Saturday, April 23, the Japan Coast Guard (JCG) said.
The boat called Kazu I reported it took in water off eastern Hokkaido while sightseeing around the scenic Shiretoko Peninsula on Saturday afternoon, and then it went missing, according to the JCG.
Twenty-four passengers were aboard the boat along with two crew members, according to the JCG, and the passengers included two children.
The deceased included seven men and three women, it added.
The coast guard said it received the report around 1:15 p.m. local time Saturday and patrol boats were headed to the site around 5:30 p.m. local time Saturday to conduct a rescue.
High waves and strong winds were observed in the area around noon on Saturday, and fishing boats returned to port before noon because of the bad weather, according to local fisheries cooperative.
In Tokyo, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism set up a task force on the Hokkaido accident.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida instructed his cabinet members to “do everything in their power to save lives,” a government official said.
Aircraft and vessels dispatched by the coast guard and the Self-Defense Forces are currently continuing with rescue efforts. – gb