Mar 10 (NHK) - The Japan Coast Guard says at least 80 people have been injured after a jetfoil ferry hit an object in the Sea of Japan.
The operator of the ferry reported that the accident occurred at around 12:15 PM on Saturday. The ship was heading to Sado Island in Niigata Prefecture, central Japan, after leaving Niigata Port on Japan's main island.
Coast Guard officials say 13 of the injured passengers are in serious condition, although they are conscious.
The ferry continued on its journey after the accident and arrived at the destination at around 1:30 PM, about one hour behind schedule. The injured people were taken to hospital.
Coast Guard officials say they found a 15-centimeter crack in the stern of the ship. They also confirmed that part of the hydrofoil wing is bent.
The operator says the vessel was carrying 121 passengers.
The vice director of the municipal aquarium in Joetsu City, Niigata Prefecture, Shinichiro Ikeguchi, says the scale of the impact suggests the boat hit a whale. He says mink and humpback whales are currently migrating through the Sea of Japan.
