Photo/Illutration The body of a man who apparently was aboard the sightseeing vessel Kazu I that sank April 23 washed up on coast near Ozerskoe village in southern Sakhalin (Provided by Sakhalin.info)

A body that washed ashore on the southern coast of Sakhalin was positively identified as a missing passenger from a sightseeing vessel that sank off Hokkaido's Shiretoko Peninsula on April 23, sources said.

They said Russian authorities notified the Japanese government on July 19 that DNA samples taken from the body matched those of a male passenger of the stricken Kazu I vessel that was carrying 26 people. Fourteen bodies have been recovered to date.

Japanese officials sent data on missing individuals to Russian authorities after the June 28 discovery of a body in Sakhalin’s Ozerskoe region.

The man was wearing a life jacket with the letters “Kazu” written on it and had a mobile phone, car keys and a wristwatch, according to sources.

The Japan Coast Guard will make arrangements with Russian officials on transporting the body back to Japan, where another DNA analysis will be done as a precautionary step to avoid mistaken identity.

Coast Guard officials are also seeking the early return of two bodies found in May on Kunashiri island, part of the disputed Northern Territories, but have yet to agree with the Russian side on how they should be handed over to Japan.

Russian authorities previously told the Japanese side that DNA samples taken from the bodies matched those of two missing people from the Kazu I.

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