天候悪化も捜索継続　潜水は中断、不明者発見難航―運航会社社長が午後会見・観光船事故

　北海道・知床半島沖で観光船「ＫＡＺＵ　I（カズワン）」（乗客乗員２６人）が遭難した事故は２７日、発生から５日目を迎えた。第１管区海上保安本部（北海道小樽市）などは範囲を広げて捜索を続けているが、依然として１５人の安否不明者は見つかっていない。２７日は午後にかけて天候が悪化する見通しで、捜索は難航が予想される。
　同本部などは知床岬を挟んだ海域を中心に、船艇１２隻、航空機７機の体制で不明者捜索を実施した。天候が悪化する中も継続したが、海が荒れたため潜水士による船体捜索は中断。ウトロ漁協も漁船による捜索を中止した。（2022/04/27-11:46）

The Japan Coast Guard and others continued on Wednesday their search off the Shiretoko Peninsula in Hokkaido, northern Japan, for people who remain unaccounted for after a tour boat carrying a total of 26 passengers and crew members lost contact at the weekend.
   The First Regional Coast Guard Headquarters and others involved in the search are expanding the area of their activities, with a total of 12 ships and seven aircraft mobilized. But they have still been unable to find the 15 missing people.
   The Kazu I tour boat went missing on Saturday after departing from Utoro Port in the town of Shari in the peninsula earlier that day. Eleven of the 26 people, including a 3-year-old girl, have been found and confirmed dead so far.
   On Tuesday, divers searched areas around the site where the tour boat lost contact, after a sonar detected a large object on the seabed. But the boat was not found. It is now believed to have sunk.
   Rough weather is expected to make the search operations difficult. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency's Sapporo Regional Headquarters in Sapporo, the capital of Hokkaido, wind speeds are expected to reach around 15 meters per second in areas off the peninsula Wednesday afternoon, with wave heights forecast at 3-4 meters.