121 people onboard stuck as Japanese ferry loses control off Tokyo

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) - At least 121 people onboard, including crew members and 116 passengers, were stuck after a ferry lost its control "due to an oil leak" in Japan on Wednesday.

A Tokai Kisen Co. ship, Seven Islands Ai, was “drifting in waters” between the south of the capital Tokyo and southern tip of the Boso Peninsula in Chiba province.

It is “unable to sail on its own,” Japan's Coast Guard said.

The incident came to the fore at around 10 a.m. (0100GMT) that the ferry had “lost control of its steering due to an oil leak,” the Tokyo-based Kyodo News reported.

The ferry was sailing to southern Shikine Island from Tokyo.