Child found dead in water off Shiretoko Peninsula identified as 3-year-old girl

The Yomiuri Shimbun

20:22 JST, April 26, 2022

The child who was found in the sea east of Cape Shiretoko in Hokkaido on Sunday and confirmed dead on Monday has been identified as a 3-year-old girl from Tokyo, according to the 1st Regional Coast Guard Headquarters.

The girl was on a sightseeing boat that went missing on Saturday with 26 people aboard.

She was identified as Nanako Kato in a Monday night announcement. She is believed to have been aboard the boat with her parents, who have not been found.

At a morgue in Shari, Hokkaido, Nanako’s grandparents called her name and rubbed their hands over her cold face.

She is the 11th person confirmed dead in the accident. All 11 drowned, according to sources.

The temperature of the seawater in the area on Saturday was 2 C to 4 C. According to sources, including the 1st Regional Coast Guard Headquarters, the 11 people were drenched and rapidly became unable to move due to the low water temperature, which could have resulted in their drowning.