19 ton missing ship Kazu 1 appeared From the port on Saturday 23 April at around 10:00 local time. Last time seen In the western part of the Shiretoko Peninsula. A popular tourist destination, the peninsula was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005. Geographically, Shiretoko is located east of Hokkaido, the second largest island in Japan.
The passenger boat is owned by Shiretoko Pleasure Cruiser. Usually his trips to Shiretoko are short and take about three hours. The crew of the missing ship also planned to abide by these deadlines. However, bad weather was recorded at sea that day. The waves were so high that the local fishermen did not dare to stay in the water and returned to the port. All other travel companies did not organize cruises that day. “The waves were predicted to rise gradually. I would not swim in these conditions, ”said a representative of the local tourism industry.
The crew of a tour boat owned by another tour operator told NHK that the Kazu 1 crew had been warned of the choppy seas and were advised to cancel the trip. But they still decided to go to the sea. In total, cruise ships can accommodate up to 65 people. There were 24 passengers and two crew on board that day, including two children: a 54-year-old captain and a 27-year-old sailor.
The team immediately contacted the coast guard at around 13.15 and reported that the ship began to take on water and sink. Around 3 pm, the crew reported that the boat was pointing at 30 degrees. After that, the connection was lost.
As Kenmin-souk points out, the water outside the peninsula is just above freezing, and there are also drifting ice floes in the area. Yoshihiko Yamada, a professor of marine science at the University of Tokyo, even suggested that a whale may have attacked victims in these waters. He added that this is unlikely, but it does exist.
The expert noted that boats like Kazu 1 usually only carry life jackets, not life jackets. The crew of the missing ship said they were wearing life jackets, NHK reported. Low temperatures and strong winds can cause hypothermia and put passengers in difficult conditions for survival, according to June Abe, vice president of the Aquatic Rescue and Survival Association. “This is a very difficult situation,” Abe said.
While five coast guard boats and aircraft were dispatched to the disaster area, divers intervened. Local authorities turned to the Japan Self-Defense Forces for help. Kyodo’s source said the country’s Prime Minister, Kishida Fumio, had instructed to use every possible means to save people. The Prime Minister also interrupted his study trip to the south of Japan and returned to Tokyo.
At first, rescuers could not find the missing ship or the passengers. The search continued all night and only 19 hours later, survivors were found. First they found three people, then four more. All seven were found in the same area near the tip of the peninsula, north of where the ship made the distress call on Saturday. This place is known to be difficult to maneuver due to its rocky coastline. The same tour boat crashed there last year.
NHK reported that the people found were unconscious. Later, the number of survivors from the boat increased to nine people. Kyodo notes that everyone has been in the water or on nearby rocks. Eight of them were unconscious.
Source: Gazeta
