Japan coastguard saves four missing people from a boat

The Japanese coastguard claims to have located four passengers from a tour boat that went missing in the chilly waters of northern Japan with 26 people on board. However, it was unclear whether the four were still alive.

“Three persons were located by a police helicopter near the tip of the Shiretoko Peninsula on Sunday morning,” according to the Japan Coast Guard, “while the fourth was spotted by a coastguard aircraft in the same region approximately 30 minutes later.”

The four people’s condition was unknown, and it was unclear if they were on land or still at sea when they were discovered.

“They are being brought to for medical assistance,” a coastguard spokesperson said.

The Kazu 1 made an emergency contact to the coastguard in the early afternoon of Saturday, reporting that the ship’s bow had flooded and it was sinking and tilting while traveling off the western coast of Shiretoko Peninsula near the northern island of Hokkaido, according to the coastguard.

It was last seen approximately two hours later, when it called its operating firm to report that it was keeling at a 30-degree angle.

The passengers and crew members on board were wearing life jackets, according to the crew. There were 24 passengers and two crew members on board. There were two youngsters among the passengers.