Japan coastguard rescues four people from missing boat

The Japanese coastguard says it has found four people from a tour boat that went missing with 26 on board in the frigid waters of northern Japan. But it was not clear if the four were still alive.

According to the Japan Coast Guard said, “Three people were discovered by a police helicopter near the tip of the Shiretoko Peninsula on Sunday morning, while the fourth was spotted by a coastguard aircraft in the same area about 30 minutes later.”

The condition of the four people was unknown, and it was not clear whether they were on land or still at sea when found.

“They are being transported to seek medical attention,” a spokesman for the coastguard said.

The Kazu 1 made an emergency call in the early afternoon on Saturday, saying the ship’s bow had flooded and it was beginning to sink and tilt while travelling off the western coast of Shiretoko Peninsula near the northern island of Hokkaido, the coastguard said.

It was last heard from about two hours later, when it contacted its operating company to say it was keeling at a 30-degree angle.

The crew said those on board were wearing life jackets, there were 24 passengers and two crew members on board. Two of the passengers were children.

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Al-Jazeera