They were found near the top of Cape Shiretoko on the Japanese island of Hokkaido, according to the Coast Guard.
Four of the nine were found unconscious, according to the Coast Guard. The condition of the other five is unknown.
Authorities lost contact with the crew of the boat Kazu 1 on Saturday after the crew announced that the water was flooding in the stern of the ship and it began to sink, the Japanese public television NHK reported. The crew also said that the people on board were in life jackets and the boat was tilted at an angle of 30 degrees, NHK reported.
There were 24 passengers on board, including two children, and two crew members, the transmitter said.
According to the website of the regional office of the Japan Meteorological Agency, the temperature of the sea water around the area where the boat is believed to have fallen was 35 to 37 degrees Fahrenheit (just under 3 degrees Celsius).
No one was immediately available for comment to the Japanese Coast Guard outside of normal business hours.
The Coast Guard received contact from the ship around 13:15 (04:15 GMT) and sent five patrol boats and two planes in search, NHK reported. Local media reported that the waves in the area were up to three meters (9.8 feet) high when the boat signaled a disaster.
No one answered calls at the office of the company that manages the tours of Kazu 1. According to its home page, the ship can accommodate 65 people. The tours around the Shiretoko area usually last about three hours, according to the travel company.
The boat left the port of Utoro at around 10 am on Saturday and was expected to return to the port by 1 pm, NHK reported. The waves were high and fishing boats in the area returned to port by mid-morning.
The sightseeing boat was in the Shiretoko Peninsula, in the northern part of Japan’s northernmost island, and is believed to have been near Kashinu Falls, NHK reported.
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