Two people, including a 17-year-old girl, died after two boats capsized off Japan’s Okinawa, with 18 students from Kyoto on board near a new US base site.

TOKYO: Two people, including a 17-year-old girl, died on Monday after a pair of boats carrying high school students capsized close to Japan’s Okinawa island.

A total of 18 students from Kyoto were on board the vessels as part of a school trip that took them near an area where a new US air base is under construction.

A regional coast guard official confirmed that 21 people were rescued, but two individuals found unconscious were later pronounced dead.

The teenage casualty was wearing a life jacket at the time, while the other victim was the captain of one of the boats, a man in his 70s.

Two other people were being treated at a hospital, though the severity of their injuries remained unclear.

A high-wave advisory was in place for Okinawa at the time of the accident, which occurred around 10 am local time, with its cause still under investigation.

The incident took place close to the Henoko district, where a US air base is due to relocate from its current site at Futenma sometime during the 2030s.

Many residents of Okinawa have opposed the US military presence for years following a spate of crimes and accidents involving American personnel.

Henoko is a less-populated part of the island than Futenma, though opponents of the base want it removed from Okinawa altogether.

 The Sun Malaysia