10 out of 26 onboard missing Japan ship confirmed dead, coast guard says

All 10 people found so far from a Japanese tour boat missing off the country’s northern coast have been confirmed dead, the coast guard said on Sunday.

The boat went missing on Saturday with 26 people on board during a cruise off the main northern island of Hokkaido.

Authorities were using aircraft and patrol boats, including seven ships, three airplanes and four helicopters from the coast guard, to search for the passengers and crew of the “Kazu I” after it ran into trouble off the peninsula, which is famous for its wildlife and dramatic coastline.

The coast guard first heard from the crew of the boat on Saturday afternoon that water was flooding into the vessel. It was last heard from around two hours later, when it contacted its operating company to say it was keeling at a 30-degree angle, Kyodo news reported earlier.