A search is underway for a sightseeing boat that ran into trouble in waters off Hokkaido in northern Japan.

The operation was launched after the Japan Coast Guard received a distress call from the vessel on Saturday afternoon saying that it was taking on water.

Six Coast Guard patrol boats and four aircraft were dispatched to search for the 19-ton tour boat "KAZU I."
The Self-Defense Forces also sent a search and rescue aircraft.

The vessel was carrying 24 passengers as well as the captain and one crewmember. They were all reportedly wearing life jackets.

The ship reported that it was listing at an angle of about 30 degrees before losing contact in waters off the Shiretoko Peninsula, a World Heritage site.

The company that owns and operates the vessel says it had left its homeport in the morning on a three-hour excursion to observe wildlife.

The Meteorological Agency says waves were three meters high in the area at the time the boat issued the distress call.