More than 100 people rescued after night adrift on high-speed ferry in Japan

More than 100 passengers have been rescued from a high-speed ferry in Japan that was adrift for over 20 hours after losing control of its rudder .

The hydrofoil, which was carrying 116 passengers, broke down off Japan ’s eastern coast reportedly due to an oil leak and steering failure.

Japan’s coast guard said the ferry was safely towed to an Oshima Island port on Thursday.

No injuries were reported, according to Japanese daily Asahi Shimbun , though three passengers felt unwell.

The ferry was sailing to Shikine Island in the Pacific from Takeshiba Pier in Tokyo ’s Minato Ward.

The vessel, called Seven Islands Ai and operated by Tokai Kisen Co, called for assistance at about 10am local time on Wednesday after it “lost control of steering due to an oil leak”.

A coast guard patrol ship responded to the distress call and towed the ferry to Oshima.

The coast guard faced difficulties in towing the ferry due to relatively rough wind and wave conditions, Kyodo News reported.

The Seven Islands Ai broke down about 17km southwest of the Nojimasaki lighthouse in Minamiboso and was unable to navigate on its own.

The Nojimasaki lighthouse is a historic landmark on the southern tip of the Boso Peninsula in Chiba prefecture.