Sunken Japanese tour boat brought to port for investigations

The tourist boat that sank off Japan's northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido last month was raised from the bottom of the sea bed on the second attempt Friday and taken by barge to a local port.

The vessel will then be brought ashore as early as Sunday and fully drained, according to the Japan Coast Guard.

Thereafter, investigations will begin into the exact cause of the 19-ton Kazu I taking on water in rough weather, leading to the sinking with the accident leaving 14 dead and 12 missing.

The Kazu I was carrying 26 people when it went missing off the Shiretoko Peninsula in Japan's northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido on April 23 after making a distress call saying it was taking on water in rough seas.