TOKYO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 05th May, 2022) Japanese coast guard began an expanded search for missing persons from the cruise boat KAZU 1, which sank on April 23, in Russian territorial waters around Kunashir Island, Japanese media reported on Thursday.
Japan notified Russia on April 25 that it plans to expand the search area into the waters around Kunashir, one of the disputed Kuril Islands, and the Russian side agreed to the operation, according to Kyodo news.
The KAZU 1 sightseeing vessel sent a distress call on April 23 and then stopped responding off the west coast of the Japanese island of Hokkaido. The boat was carrying 26 passengers and crew, including two children. Maritime security patrol ships, fishing boats and helicopters did not find the vessel when they came to the rescue.
The bodies of 14 people, including a 3-year-old girl have been found so far, while 12 others are still missing.
According to the preliminary results of the investigation, the accident may have been caused by unfavorable weather conditions and the criminal negligence of the company that owns the KAZU 1. The waves on April 23 were as high as three meters (nine feet) and the boat did not have a working radio and relied on malfunctioning satellite connection.
The fact that several of the bodies were found quite far from the site of the crash could mean that others could have been carried by the current to Kunashir Island. It has not been specified how long the search operation will last or if Japan has requested Russian assistance in locating the bodies.
