Officials are on the search for a tour boat that reportedly went missing off the island of Hokkaido, Japan.
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What happened to the tour boat that morning
The Shiretoko Tour Boat had 26 passengers including two children on board and went missing early Saturday morning after taking off from the island. Officials said the Kazu 1 vessel made a distress call around 1 p.m. local time as reported by the New York Post. The distress call was made after the boat’s bow was flooded and it was sinking with all passengers on board. It was last seen near the western part of the Shiretoko Peninsula and the water is at a reported freezing temperature. Experts say a whale could’ve struck the ship and hypothermia could be a huge possibility based on the frigid water temperature.
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Coast Guard patrol boats and a helicopter were dispatched to search for any survivors and reported that passengers were most likely wearing life jackets since a lifeboat was not present on the vessel. As of Saturday evening, the coast guard has found four out of the 26 people who went missing as per the Associated Press.
The Japanese Coast Guard said its helicopters found four of the 26 people on a tour boat that had gone missing the day before off the northern island of Hokkaido. It’s unclear if they were found alive. The vessel had sent a distress call 18 hours earlier. https://t.co/47hsqvXFf7
— The Associated Press (@AP) April 23, 2022
A tour boat with 26 people aboard, including two children, has been missing off the coast of #Hokkaido, #Japan’s northernmost island, on Saturday with no sign of survivors, the country’s coastguard said.#北海道 pic.twitter.com/hhx5bmrN04
— Ifeng News (@IFENG__official) April 23, 2022
Experts say a whale could’ve struck the ship and hypothermia could be a huge possibility based on the frigid water temperature.
Families also contacted Shiretoko Pleasure Cruiser for any updates regarding the missing boat but the company said in a statement: “We have been receiving a lot of calls from the passengers’ families. We have to handle it first.”
The outlet also reported that local weather at the time was strong winds, and waves up to nine feet high. The weather caused local fishing businesses to dock their boats due to the extreme weather conditions.
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The peninsula is a very popular tourist spot where drifted ice can be seen near the area. Additionally, rare species of animals and plants can be found in the area such as dolphins, whales, and bears.
Back in the United States, a search for a National Guard Army soldier remains missing after he jumped into the Rio Grande to rescue a migrant woman who was swept away by the current. The woman made it out of the water safely but the soldier’s whereabouts are unknown.