Rescue operation for missing tour boat in Japan intensifies

The Japanese Coast Guard said Sunday that rescue helicopters found nine of the 26 people from a tour boat missing in the frigid waters of northern Japan since the day before, but their conditions are unknown.

Rescuers intensified their search earlier Sunday and found four people near the tip of Shiretoko Peninsula and five more people in the same area a few hours later, but the coast guard said it could not confirm whether they were rescued alive.

NHK public television said they were unconscious.

The coast guard said all nine people were found in the area near the tip of the peninsula north of where the boat sent a distress call on Saturday. The location is known as a difficult place to maneuver boats because of its rocky coastline. The same tour boat had an accident there last year.

Footage on NHK showed one of the rescued people arriving on a helicopter and being transferred to an ambulance on a stretcher, while rescuers held up blue plastic shields for privacy.

An orange-colored, square-shaped lifesaving float with the boat's name on it was also seen on the rocky coast.

The boat carrying 24 passengers, including two children, and two crew members went missing after sending a distress call, saying it took on water and was beginning to sink.

The first report of Sunday's rescue came after nearly 19 hours of intense search involving six patrol boats, several aircraft and divers. The coast guard said the search continued through the night and has since expanded, with local fishing and tour boats joining the efforts, while the Self Defense Force dispatched a destroyer and three planes.

The 19-ton Kazu 1 made an emergency call early Saturday afternoon, saying the ship's bow had flooded and that it was beginning...