TOKYO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 02nd May, 2022) Japan's maritime security service has conducted searches at the office of the company that owns the KAZU 1 tour boat that sank a week ago, as well as the home of the company's head, Japanese media report.
Documents were seized during the searches, the Kyodo news agency said on Monday. Investigators also plan to interrogate both the company head and employees in order to see whether there were any violations of security regulations.
The KAZU 1 cruise boat sent a distress signal on April 23, after it left the Utoro port on Hokkaido, the northernmost of Japan's main islands. The boat was carrying 24 passengers, including two children, and two crew members. A helicopter and patrol vessels were sent to the boat's suspected location, but rescuers were unable to find the vessel.
The bodies of fourteen people, including a 3-year-old girl, were found following the accident. Twelve people are still considered missing.
The exact cause of the accident remains unknown, but multiple safety violations have been reported, including broken radio and satellite communication on board KAZU 1.
