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Tourist boat with 26 people missing in northern Japan after crash call

TOKYO – A tourist boat with 26 people on board has gone missing in rough seas off the north coast Japan The Coast Guard said on Saturday after issuing a distress call and reporting the ship was sinking.

No survivors were found after more than seven hours of intense search involving six patrol boats and four aircraft.

The 19-ton vessel Kazu 1 made an emergency call in the early afternoon, saying its bow had flooded and began to sink and tilt as it was sailing off the west coast of the northern Shiretoko peninsula. Hokkaido island, the coast guard said.

The cruise ship has lost contact since then, according to the coast guard. It said the boat was carrying 24 passengers, including two children and two crew members.

An official with the ship’s operator, Shiretoko Pleasure Cruise, said he could not comment because he had to answer calls from worried passengers’ families.

High waves and strong winds were observed in the area around midday, according to a local fisheries cooperative. Japanese media reported that the fishing boats had returned to port before noon because of bad weather.

Public broadcaster NHK said there were warnings of large waves up to 9 feet high.

According to the operator’s website, the tour lasts about three hours and offers stunning views of the peninsula’s west coast, including nature and animals such as whales, dolphins, and brown bears .

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