26 Passengers Missing from Tourist Boat in Hokkaido, Japan

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jin-ho] A tourist boat carrying 26 people went missing in the waters off the Shiretoko Peninsula in Hokkaido, Japan.

According to major foreign media on the 23rd, at around 1:15 PM that day, the Japan Coast Guard received a distress call from a tourist boat named "Kazu 1" reporting flooding. The boat reportedly reported that "the bow is sinking due to flooding."

After notifying that "the hull was tilted about 30 degrees," contact with the tourist boat was lost. All passengers (24) and crew members (2) were wearing life jackets.

The Japan Coast Guard dispatched helicopters and other resources to search the accident site, but as of 5:30 PM, neither the vessel nor the passengers have been found.