Bodies Of Three KAZU 1 Wreckage Victims Delivered To Japan's Port City Of Otaru - Reports

TOKYO (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 10th September, 2022) The bodies of three people from the KAZU 1 tourist vessel, which sank in late April near the Japanese island of Hokkaido, have been taken from Russia to the Japanese port city of Otaru, the Kyodo news agency reported on Saturday.

The bodies were found off the coast of Russia's Sakhalin and Kunashir islands in May. In late August, Kyodo reported that an official agreement to transfer the bodies was reached between Russia and Japan after identification with DNA samples. A delegation of the Japan Coast Guard left for the Port of Korsakov earlier this week for the transfer of the bodies.

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. The bodies of 14 people, including a 3-year-old girl were found, while 12 others were still missing. A few days after the accident, the vessel was discovered at a depth of 120 meters (394 feet) in the area where the distress signal came from. Later, the bodies of two passengers and one crew member were found near Kunashir and Sakhalin islands.

Presumably, the cause of the accident could be unfavorable weather conditions, as well as numerous safety violations by the management company. The vessel did not have a working radio and relied on a malfunctioning satellite connection. KAZU 1 has now been raised to the surface, with an investigation by police and maritime security underway.