Twists and turns: An aerial photo taken Thursday shows (from top to bottom) where passengers boarded a tour boat, where it capsized and where survivors were pulled from the Tenryu River. Also Thursday, police searched the headquarters of the tour boat operator, Tenryu Hamanako RailRoad Co., and related sites on suspicion of professional negligence resulting in death.The investigators are questioning boatmen on other vessels that were near the site at the time and other people to help determine the cause of the accident.Tenryu Hamanako RailRoad said the boat with 23 people aboard crashed into riverside rocks and sank stern-first after control of the vessel was in whirlpools.It also said that of the six children on board, the missing toddler and four others were not wearing the legally required life vests.One of the boatmen reportedly said upon boarding that they could leave the jackets off because of the hot weather.Company President Kenzo Nagura apologized at a news conference, acknowledging poor supervision on his part. Nagura earlier admitted that navigation errors caused the accident, which he said took place in the most challenging part of the cruise course in Hamamatsu.The two boatmen navigating the tour boat had gone through the same area together Wednesday morning without any problem, with water flow and other conditions being almost exactly the same as when the accident occurred in the afternoon, according to the company.The Transport Safety Board dispatched two more investigators to the site Thursday, bringing the total to five working on the case.The second victim was identified as Hiroko Hane, 74, of Sakai, Osaka Prefecture. The three missing are her husband, Hiromu, 80, boatman Kuniyuki Kitahashi, 66, and Masayoshi Mochizuki, 2, both of Hamamatsu.The first fatality was 67-year-old Chikako Kimura of Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture.The boat, together with two other vessels, left for a 6-km cruise down the river Wednesday afternoon, the company said.Nearby residents voiced concerns Thursday that the local economy would suffer a major blow if the tour boat business is forced to close down because it is a major pillar of the area's tourism industry.2011年8月19日金曜日
Trio still missing in boat sinking
SHIZUOKA — Authorities confirmed Thursday the death of a second woman in a tour boat accident a day earlier on the Tenryu River in Shizuoka Prefecture, while continuing the search for the missing — two men and a 2-year-old boy.Twists and turns: An aerial photo taken Thursday shows (from top to bottom) where passengers boarded a tour boat, where it capsized and where survivors were pulled from the Tenryu River. Also Thursday, police searched the headquarters of the tour boat operator, Tenryu Hamanako RailRoad Co., and related sites on suspicion of professional negligence resulting in death.The investigators are questioning boatmen on other vessels that were near the site at the time and other people to help determine the cause of the accident.Tenryu Hamanako RailRoad said the boat with 23 people aboard crashed into riverside rocks and sank stern-first after control of the vessel was in whirlpools.It also said that of the six children on board, the missing toddler and four others were not wearing the legally required life vests.One of the boatmen reportedly said upon boarding that they could leave the jackets off because of the hot weather.Company President Kenzo Nagura apologized at a news conference, acknowledging poor supervision on his part. Nagura earlier admitted that navigation errors caused the accident, which he said took place in the most challenging part of the cruise course in Hamamatsu.The two boatmen navigating the tour boat had gone through the same area together Wednesday morning without any problem, with water flow and other conditions being almost exactly the same as when the accident occurred in the afternoon, according to the company.The Transport Safety Board dispatched two more investigators to the site Thursday, bringing the total to five working on the case.The second victim was identified as Hiroko Hane, 74, of Sakai, Osaka Prefecture. The three missing are her husband, Hiromu, 80, boatman Kuniyuki Kitahashi, 66, and Masayoshi Mochizuki, 2, both of Hamamatsu.The first fatality was 67-year-old Chikako Kimura of Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture.The boat, together with two other vessels, left for a 6-km cruise down the river Wednesday afternoon, the company said.Nearby residents voiced concerns Thursday that the local economy would suffer a major blow if the tour boat business is forced to close down because it is a major pillar of the area's tourism industry.
Twists and turns: An aerial photo taken Thursday shows (from top to bottom) where passengers boarded a tour boat, where it capsized and where survivors were pulled from the Tenryu River. Also Thursday, police searched the headquarters of the tour boat operator, Tenryu Hamanako RailRoad Co., and related sites on suspicion of professional negligence resulting in death.The investigators are questioning boatmen on other vessels that were near the site at the time and other people to help determine the cause of the accident.Tenryu Hamanako RailRoad said the boat with 23 people aboard crashed into riverside rocks and sank stern-first after control of the vessel was in whirlpools.It also said that of the six children on board, the missing toddler and four others were not wearing the legally required life vests.One of the boatmen reportedly said upon boarding that they could leave the jackets off because of the hot weather.Company President Kenzo Nagura apologized at a news conference, acknowledging poor supervision on his part. Nagura earlier admitted that navigation errors caused the accident, which he said took place in the most challenging part of the cruise course in Hamamatsu.The two boatmen navigating the tour boat had gone through the same area together Wednesday morning without any problem, with water flow and other conditions being almost exactly the same as when the accident occurred in the afternoon, according to the company.The Transport Safety Board dispatched two more investigators to the site Thursday, bringing the total to five working on the case.The second victim was identified as Hiroko Hane, 74, of Sakai, Osaka Prefecture. The three missing are her husband, Hiromu, 80, boatman Kuniyuki Kitahashi, 66, and Masayoshi Mochizuki, 2, both of Hamamatsu.The first fatality was 67-year-old Chikako Kimura of Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture.The boat, together with two other vessels, left for a 6-km cruise down the river Wednesday afternoon, the company said.Nearby residents voiced concerns Thursday that the local economy would suffer a major blow if the tour boat business is forced to close down because it is a major pillar of the area's tourism industry.
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