Two people were killed after two boats carrying 21 passengers capsized on Monday near the Henoko area off Okinawa Island in southern Japan, according to officials cited by the Associated Press.
Japan’s Coast Guard reported that 18 of the passengers were high school students from Kyoto who were taking part in a peace awareness program that included observing the Henoko coastal area.
Ten people were on board the boat Heiwa Maru, while eight others were on the smaller vessel Fukotsu when the accident occurred.
Rescue teams from the Coast Guard pulled all 21 passengers from the water. Authorities later confirmed the deaths of a 17-year-old student and the captain of the smaller boat Fukotsu.
Two other passengers suffered injuries that were not considered life-threatening.
Coast Guard officials confirmed that the cause of the boat capsizing is under investigation.
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