An accident in which a sightseeing boat with 26 passengers and crew was distressed off the coast of the Shiretoko Peninsula in Hokkaido.


What exactly happened at the scene?


23 We will summarize the history from Hinode Port to accident report and search.

Departure of "KAZU 1" around 10 am on the 23rd

The sightseeing boat "KAZU 1 (19 tons)" departed from Utoro Port in Shari Town.



A camera installed by NHK at the port of Utoro in Shari-cho showed passengers boarding one after another after 9:50 am on the 23rd and leaving the port around 10 am.

According to the people concerned, this ship is a sightseeing boat "KAZU 1".



There were a total of 26 passengers, including 24 passengers, including two children, and one captain and one deck member, who were scheduled to turn around at Cape Shiretoko at the tip of the Shiretoko Peninsula and return to the port of Utoro at 1:00 pm. ..



According to the Shiretoko Shari Town Tourism Association, the operating company had just started operating this season ahead of other operating companies on the 23rd.

"I said'Don't go'..."

A man from an operating company other than this tour boat responded to a reporter's interview.

The man said, "I knew the sea was going to be rough, so I told him not to go yesterday. I wonder why he went."

In addition, the union leader of the local fishermen's cooperative also testified to the captain before the tour boat departed, saying, "I advised that I should not leave the port because the waves will be high, but I went out." Did.



A man who left the port of Utoro by a fishing boat at around 5 am like a sightseeing boat said, "The forecast was that the waves would start in the afternoon, and the waves were rising as it was, but the boat was not enough to run." I did.

Successive reports seeking rescue

The incident happened about three hours after leaving the port.



At 1:13 pm, another operating company, which was contacted by radio from a tour boat, requested rescue from the Japan Coast Guard.



"It's sinking near'Kashunino Falls'. It's flooded."

At 1:18 pm, the Japan Coast Guard was notified by number 118 directly from this ship, saying, "The bow is flooded. The engine cannot be used. Ask for rescue."



At 2:55 pm, the tour boat operator contacted the Japan Coast Guard, saying, "KAZU 1 has lost contact at the end of the contact at around 2:00 pm saying that the bow is tilted about 30 degrees." had.



Regarding passengers, the operating company explained to the Japan Coast Guard that they all wore life jackets.



According to the Meteorological Observatory, at the time of the accident, the height of the waves in the surrounding sea area was 3 meters, and warnings of strong winds and waves were issued.



According to a man who used to be a sailor on a sightseeing boat in Shiretoko, he said that the area around Kashunino Falls at the site was "a dangerous place with fast tides and reefs."

The size of the reef is about 30 meters long and 10 meters wide, and it means that the sightseeing boats passing through this place are sailing with great care.



Also, in this area, when the northwest wind blows, waves tend to rise, making it difficult to maneuver the ship.

The search did not start on the 23rd.

Upon receiving the report, the Japan Coast Guard headed for rescue by patrol boat and aircraft.



A helicopter arrived in the waters near the site around 4:30 pm.



The helicopter departed from the Kushiro base, but it is about 160 kilometers away from the Shiretoko Peninsula and it takes more than an hour to fly.

The aircraft was on another patrol, so it was necessary to return to the base to refuel and prepare to carry a diver.



Including such preparation time, it took more than 3 hours from the report to the arrival at the site.



Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Isozaki was asked at a press conference in the morning on the 25th, "Why did the Japan Coast Guard search team take so long to arrive at the scene?" I received a rescue request. At that time, the nearest rotary wing aircraft belonging to the Kushiro Air Base was on patrol work and the sea area at the site was far away, so it was necessary to refuel to secure time for activities such as lifting rescue. " Said.



"Since it was necessary to carry a Japan Coast Guard diver for rescue operations, I returned to Kushiro Air Base at 2:38 pm, refueled and carried a diver, and then in the afternoon. I left the base at 3:20 and arrived at the waters near the site at 4:30 pm. "

In addition, regarding rescue by ship, "As with the aircraft, at around 1:22 pm, we instructed the patrol boat belonging to the department in charge of Eastern Hokkaido to activate it. If it is normal speed, it will be near the site earlier. However, on the day of the event, the sea was stormy, so normal speed could not be achieved, and the first patrol boat that arrived also arrived near the site at 5:55 pm. The sea was very stormy. We recognize that this is the reason why it took longer than usual. "



In addition, the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, which received a disaster dispatch request, also conducted a search.



However, on the 23rd, I could not find any clues for passengers and crew.



The search was conducted overnight.

24th 5:05 am Found the first missing person

The search for the missing person continued on the 24th.



From this day, local fishermen and road disaster prevention helicopters also joined the search and strengthened their posture.



Then, at 5:05 am, a police aircraft contacted me that they had found three people at the tip of Cape Shiretoko, and rescue operations were carried out.



Furthermore, at 5:45 am, a Japan Coast Guard aircraft found one person in the rocky area at the tip of Cape Shiretoko.



After that, the discovery of missing persons continued, and on the 24th, a total of 11 people including one child were found by 11:00 pm, and all of them were confirmed dead after that.

The state of the site

Also, in the video taken from the sky near the tip of Cape Shiretoko after noon on the 24th by an NHK helicopter, you can see that an orange and white float with "KAZU 1" written on it has been launched on the rocky area.

The 1st Regional Coast Guard Headquarters has released two images taken during the search on the 24th.



Of these, the image taken near the tip of Cape Shiretoko shows two divers rescuing one who was in the rocky area.

In another image taken at sea near the cape, you can see that life-saving equipment such as a float with the name of the sightseeing boat "KAZU 1" is floating.

Search continues on the 25th and 3rd day

We continue to search for a wider range on the 25th, the third day after the accident.



At the Utoro Fisheries Cooperative in Shari Town, people involved in the fishing industry and sightseeing boats confirmed the scope of the search before leaving the port one after another.



Kazuhiko Fukayama, the union leader of the Utoro Fisheries Cooperative, said, "The waves have subsided since yesterday, so I want to find someone who is missing as soon as possible."