Body possibly of woman from sunken tour boat found on disputed isle
The body of a woman who may be one of the missing people from a tourist boat that sank off Hokkaido has been found washed ashore on Kunashiri Island, one of four Russia-controlled, Japan-claimed islands, the Japan Coast Guard said Friday.
The body was found May 6, according to the information provided Tuesday by Russian authorities, the coast guard said. Twelve passengers remain unaccounted for, with none found since April 28, five days after the boat went missing. Fourteen people have been confirmed dead.
The body, which had no personal belongings that could lead to identification, was taken to a hospital on the island, according to the coast guard.
The 19-ton Kazu I was carrying 24 passengers and two crew members when it went missing on April 23 after leaving port in Shari, Hokkaido, for a cruise along the Shiretoko Peninsula, despite a bad-weather warning. The vessel was found on the seabed off Hokkaido on April 29.
Also on Friday, the coast guard said the coastal search area for the Hokkaido police will be expanded following requests from families of those still missing from the tourist boat. Read More...
