Despite the weather forecast to be bad, the “Kazu I” set sail on Saturday morning to sail along part of the Shiretoko peninsula, a preserved natural area northeast of the large northern Japanese island of Hokkaido.
Eleven people died and fifteen are missing in the sinking of a tourist boat on Saturday in the freezing and choppy waters of northern Japan, the coast guard announced on Sunday April 24.
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“We confirm the death of all eleven people“found after the sinking of the boat Kazu I, told AFP a spokesman for the coast guard, adding that the search for the missing continues. Despite forecasted bad weather, the Kazu I set sail on Saturday morning with 26 people on board to sail along a side of the Shiretoko Peninsula, a preserved natural area northeast of the large northern Japanese island of Hokkaido. .
“It was clear that the sea state was going to get worse, and I told them not to go out“, told the operator of another tourist boat to the public television channel NHK. “But they went anyway“. The crew sent out a distress call at 1:13 p.m. local time (0413 GMT), reporting that the boat was sinking, with its bow tilted at 30 degrees.
The coastguard arrived on the scene only after three hours and an intense search has been going on ever since. The police, Japan Self-Defense Forces (SDF) and local fishermen are also taking part in the operations, both sea and air.
Two children were on board
Aerial footage from Japanese public broadcaster NHK showed a helicopter and patrol boats exploring the edge of the peninsula, as well as rescuers on shore scanning a very rugged shoreline, with high crashing waves full of foams against large rocks. Other Coastguard footage showed rescue workers inspecting crevices on the coast and some objects marked with the inscription “Kazu Iwashed up on the shore.
The boat was carrying two crew members and 24 passengers, including two children. All were wearing life jackets. But the waters in the region are currently very cold, with a temperature of just two or three degrees during the day, and the coast is still icy in places. The sea was also rough at the time of the accident: fishing boats in the vicinity had returned to port before Saturday noon due to high waves and strong wind, according to a local fishing cooperative quoted by the agency. of Japanese press Kyodo.
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“The waves were expected to get higher and higher. I would not have taken to the sea in these conditions“, had entrusted Saturday to the agency Kyodo a person of the same local tourist sector. The Kazu I had already suffered damage during an excursion last June, hitting shallows near its home port, according to Japanese media.
This incident had not injured anyone but had earned a police investigation targeting the captain of the boat for negligence. The Shiretoko Peninsula is an important tourist attraction in Hokkaido. The natural site has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2005 for its remarkable terrestrial and marine ecosystems.