A tourist boat with 30 people on board is feared to have sank off Hokkaido, the northern island of Japan, according to the Japanese authorities who have launched the rescue.
According to NHK TV, the commander of the Kazu 1 boat sounded the alarm, saying that she was sinking, off the Shiretoko peninsula, a natural site protected by UNESCO.
At the moment it has not been found nor is it known what happened to the people on board.
Rescue helicopters, which arrived about 4 hours after the loss of contact, are patrolling the waters in search of survivors.