Two people, including a 17-year-old girl, have died after a pair of boats carrying high school students capsized close to Okinawa island, the coast guard said.
A total of 18 students from Kyoto were on board the vessels, reportedly as part of school trip that took the boats close to an area where a new US air base is under construction.
“A total of 21 people were rescued, but two people who were found unconscious are confirmed dead,” a regional coast guard official told AFP.
The teenager was wearing a life jacket at the time of her death, while the other casualty was the captain of one of the boats, a man in his 70s, the coast guard said.
The official said two other people were being treated at a hospital, but the severity of their injuries was unclear.
A high-wave advisory was in place for Okinawa at the time of the accident, which occurred around 10am, the official said, adding that its cause was still under investigation.
The incident took place close to Henoko district, where a US air base is due to move sometime during the 2030s from its current site at Futenma in the south of the island.
Many residents of Okinawa have opposed the US military presence for years, following a spate of crimes and accidents involving American soldiers and base personnel.
Henoko is a less-populated part of the island than Futenma, but opponents want the base removed altogether. — AFP
