A Ship The boat with 26 people on board was still being searched by the Coast Guard in the north on Saturday evening JapanAccording to local media, it was several hours before it was warned that it would sink.
At 1:15 p.m. Communication with the boat was later cut off, and several hours later no help arrived in the area. A Coast Guard official told AFP Saturday that a rescue operation was underway, but did not provide further details.
Very cold temperature
The boat and its occupants – 24 passengers, including two children, as well as two crew members, according to media reports – were not found until 9:30 pm Japanese time, and the search continued until dark.
Life jackets were provided for staff and passengers, according to the NHK, but the temperature in the region is very cold, currently zero degrees Celsius at night.
In addition, fishing boats in the area returned to port before noon on Saturday due to high waves and strong winds, according to a local fishing cooperative quoted by Japanese news agency Kyoto.
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