The tourist boat that went missing for the past six days with 26 passengers was discovered underwater in the waters off Hokkaido on Friday, the Japan Coast Guard stated.
19-ton Kazu I was located after the Maritime Self-Defense Force conducted a search using an underwater camera on the Shiretoko Peninsula. The bodies of 14 individuals have been discovered after contact with the vessel was lost on April 23rd.
The vessel was discovered at a depth of approximately 100 meters close to the Kashuni Falls, a popular picturesque spot near the peninsula’s tip. It is from which the vessel made an emergency call. Twelve people are still missing.
The coast guard told the media that they received a call from the Russian Border Security Agency informing that it had spotted an individual floating on Wednesday in the ocean wearing a life jacket just west of Kunashiri Island off Hokkaido.
According to a Japanese official, the Russian authorities have said that they were unable to launch the rescue effort but lost the victim because of the stormy weather.
Kunashiri is among the many islands disputed off the northernmost island of Hokkaido that collectively are referred to as Hokkaido, the Northern Territories by Tokyo, and the Southern Kurils by Moscow.
Kazu I was sailing despite warnings of bad weather and forecasts. Shiretoko Peninsula Shiretoko Peninsula was designated as a World Natural Heritage site in 2005.
Source: JapanToday
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