Tokyo - A Japanese tour boat with 26 people aboard that was missing in the frigid waters of northern Japan on Saturday was found.

A coast guard official told Reuters the condition of the three people who were found was unclear but public broadcaster NHK reported they were unconscious.

The other four, who were found earlier on Sunday morning, were unconscious and already brought to hospital, the coast guard official said.

Of the four people, three were discovered by a police helicopter near the tip of the Shiretoko peninsula, the coast guard said, with the fourth spotted by a coast guard aircraft in the same area about 30 minutes later.

The crew said those on board were wearing life jackets, media said.

There were 24 passengers and two crew members on board. Two of the passengers were children.

The coast guard first heard from the crew of the boat on Saturday afternoon that water was flooding into the vessel. It was last heard from around two hours later, when it contacted its operating company to say it was keeling at a 30-degree angle, Kyodo news reported earlier.
-Reuters