Society

In emotional news conference, tour boat operator apologizes for Hokkaido tragedy

Apr 28 (Japan Times) - Falling to his knees and placing his forehead on the floor, the president of the tour boat company operating the Kazu I, which disappeared Saturday in the Sea of Okhotsk with 26 people aboard, apologized Wednesday, saying that the ship’s captain made the decision to go ahead with the tour that morning.

“(Skipper Noriyuki) Toyoda said it was possible to depart at 10 a.m., although the weather might turn bad that afternoon,” Shiretoko Yuransen President Seiichi Katsurada told a packed news conference in the port town of Shari, on Hokkaido’s Shiretoko Peninsula, where the boat had left for a sightseeing tour of the natural World Heritage Site.

But Katsurada also said he ultimately approved the decision to go ahead with the tour.

It was the first public appearance by Katsurada and came after he briefed the families of the victims on Wednesday afternoon. In a dramatic move, Katsurada got down on his knees three times at the news conference, apologizing to the victims and their families.

“I’m deeply sorry for causing such a grave accident … and for placing such a heavy burden on the bereaved families of the victims,” Katsurada said. “I can’t apologize enough.”

A police helicopter searches on Saturday for the passengers of a tour boat that disappeared Wednesday off of Shiretoko Peninsula in Hokkaido. | KYODO

The Kazu I disappeared around 2 p.m. Saturday after Toyoda reported the boat was listing 30 degrees. Communication was then cut off.

The cause of the accident remains unclear, but investigators plan to build a criminal case against the boat’s operator on charges of professional negligence resulting in death, as well as boat damage due to negligence.

Eleven passengers had been found dead as of Wednesday evening, and the search continues for the remaining 13 passengers and two crew members, including Toyoda.

Source: ANNnewsCH

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