Nine people were found today after the wreck of a previous cruise ship in northern Japanbut their state of health is not clear while another 17 people are still missingaccording to search and rescue services.
The first four were located shortly after 05:00 (Japan time; yesterday Saturday at 23:00 Greek time) and were taken unconscious to a hospitalsaid a representative of the Japanese Coast Guard to the French Agency.
Five other people were later identified in the morning, according to a press release of the Japanese port, which does not say what their condition is.
Although the forecast for the meteorological conditions was poor, The ship Kazu I set sail yesterday morning for a tour along part of the Siretoko Peninsula, a protected natural area in the northeastern part of the northern island of Hokkaido.
The crew sent distress signal at 13:13 local time (07:13 Greek time), notifying that the ship was flooding and had begun to sink, had taken a slope of 30 degrees.
The port did not reach the area until after three hours of intensive research, which have been going on ever since. The police, the army and the fishermen of the area are involved. Air vehicles have been developed.
Kazu I carried 24 passengersbetween them two children, and had a two-member crew.
They all wore life jackets, but the water in the area is extremely cold, with temperatures ranging between 2 and 3 ° C during the day.
The sea was turbulent when the incident unfolded: fishing boats in the area returned to their ports before noon due to high waves and strong winds, according to a local cooperative quoted by the Japanese news agency Kyodo.
The Kazu I crashed while touring last June when it ran aground relatively shallow near its port, according to Japanese media. No one was injured in the incident, but police have launched an investigation into the ship’s captain for negligence.
The Siretoko Peninsula is a magnet for tourists in Hokkaido. In 2005, it was added to the list of the UNESCO World Natural Heritagedue to its remarkable terrestrial and marine ecosystems.
Follow Skai.gr on Google News
and be the first to know all the news
