A tourist ship with about 30 people on board disappeared on Saturday in northern Japan after warning that it was sinking according to local media, and the coast guard began a search.
A local coast guard official told AFP news agency that a relief mission was taking place, but could not immediately elaborate.
According to the Japanese public television network NHK, the crew of “Kazu 1″ warned the coast guard that the ship was sinking while off the Shiretoko Peninsula, a remote UNESCO World Heritage Site in the northeast of the island of Hokkaido (northern Japan).
Contact with the vessel was subsequently lost and the search helicopters did not arrive in the area until four hours after the distress call.
The crew and passengers wore life jackets, according to the NHK.
It is believed that the sightseeing boat was touring the coastal area of the Shiretoko Peninsula, and the site is located in the sea area near the tourist area of Kashunino Falls, in the city of Shari.
Japan's Coast Guard is heading to the rescue with patrol boats and a reconnaissance plane, according to the official Japanese news agency Kyodo.
News in development
(With information from AFP and Europa Press)
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