Ten killed from missing tourist boat in Japan

The Japan Coast Guard reports that at least ten persons have been killed when a tourist boat went missing off the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido.

They said the hunt for 16 other passengers on board the Kazu 1 vessel is ongoing in freezing seas.

Contact with the boat was lost Saturday at 13:15 local time (04:15 GMT) when it reported taking on water.

The Kazu 1 was reportedly on a three-hour sightseeing tour of the Shiretoko Peninsula.

The region is a UNESCO world heritage site, and boat tours are popular among tourists wanting to see whales, sea lions, and brown bears on the rocky shores.

According to Japanese media, the crew communicated that the vessel was tilting at a 30-degree angle and about to sink.

Patrol boats, police helicopters, and military planes were all despatched promptly to locate the vessel. Local fishing boats assisted in the search operation as well.

Two were crew members and two were minors among the 26 onboard.

Earlier reports indicated that other persons had been rescued from the seas – however, it is unknown if they are among the confirmed ten victims.

Local fishing boats had supposedly opted to return to port by mid-morning due to the heavy waves in the region.

According to the crew, everyone on board was wearing life jackets.

However, temperatures in the region can fall to as low as 0C (32F) at night.

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