Child’ s body found after vessel sinks

Rescuers searching for those missing since a tour boat carrying 26 people sank off north-eastern Japan have found the body of an 11th victim – a child – as questions intensified about why the vessel sailed in rough weather at a known hazardous location.

The youngster was found late on Sunday, the coastguard said yesterday.

The bodies of seven men and three women were recovered earlier on Sunday.

The Kazu 1’s two crew members were taking 24 passengers, including two children, on a scenic tour at Shiretoko National Park on the northern side of Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost main island, when it sent a distress call on Saturday afternoon saying it was sinking from its bow.

The location was near the Kashuni Waterfall, which is known as a difficult place to manoeuvre boats because of its rocky coastline and strong tide.

The Transport Ministry is investigating the boat’s operator, Shiretoko Pleasure Cruise, which had two accidents last year, including one which also involved the captain of the sunken boat.

The ministry said it is looking into safety standards and the decision to go ahead with the tour despite rough weather on Saturday.

The coastguard said it is prioritising the search and rescue of those still missing, while gathering

evidence towards making a criminal case on suspicion of professional negligence.

Shiretoko Pleasure Cruise had been instructed to improve its safety following the earlier accidents.

In June a boat ran aground without any injuries, and in May a boat collided with an object,

causing three passengers to suffer minor injuries.

The June accident involved the same captain as on the sunken boat.

That case has been pending at local prosecutors for further criminal investigation, the coastguard said.

“We will thoroughly investigate what caused this situation and what

kind of safety oversight was involved to allow the tour in order to prevent another accident,” Transport Minister Tetsuo Saito, who visited the area on Sunday, told reporters.

The tour company declined to comment over the weekend, and phone calls by the Associated Press to its office yesterday went unanswered.

TRAGEDY: Japanese emergency crews transfer a rescued passenger from the scene.