A tour boat with 26 people on board has been missing for more than seven hours after issuing a distress call and taking on water, Japan’s coastguard said.
No survivors have been found so far, it added.
The Kazu 1 made a distress call in the early afternoon local time, saying the ship’s bow had flooded and was beginning to sink and tilt off the western coast of Shiretoko Peninsula in the northern island of Hokkaido, the coastguard said.
The boat later lost contact.
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It was carrying 24 passengers and two crew.
High waves and strong winds were observed in the area around 12pm, according to a local fisheries co-operative.
Japanese media reports said fishing boats returned to port before noon because of the bad weather.
The NHK public broadcaster said there was a warning for high waves of up to nine feet high.
According to the operator’s website, the tour takes about three hours and offers the scenic view of the western coast of the peninsula, including the nature and animals such as whales, dolphins and the brown bear. – AP