BREAKING NEWS: Ten people have died after tour boat sank off Japan with 16 others still missing

Ten people who were on board a tour boat that sunk off Japan’s coast are confirmed to have died by Coast Guard officers, while 16 others are still missing.

Japan’s coastguard has said the 10 were found in the Shiretoko Peninsula and taken to hospital, but they did not survive.

Coast Guard officers say the 19-tonne Kazu 1 sent a distress call on Saturday afternoon during its tour around the Shiretoko Peninsula, a UNESCO World Heritage site, in the northern island of Hokkaido.

They say 24 passengers, including two children, and two crewmembers were on board the ship. All of them were reported to be wearing life vests.

Sunday’s rescue came after a search involving six patrol boats, several aircraft and divers. The coastguard said the search continued through the night.

Japanese media reports said fishing boats had returned to port before noon on Saturday because of bad weather.

Public broadcaster NHK said there was a warning for waves of up to three metres high.

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