SAPPORO: The Japan Coast Guard on Saturday received a report from a sightseeing ship carrying a total of 26 passengers and crew members that it had been flooded in waters off the northernmost Japan prefecture of Hokkaido.
Following the report at around 1:15 p.m. (4:15 a.m. GMT), the ship lost contact, according to coast guard officials.
The Coast Guard has sent five patrol vessels and two planes to the site for search and rescue operations.
According to the First Regional Coast Guard Headquarters, 22 adult passengers and two children as well as two crew members were on the ship, called Kazu I, which was sailing in the Sea of Okhotsk off Cape Shiretoko.
According to the website of the ship’s operator, the small sightseeing ship has a capacity of 65 passengers.
*JIJI Press