2 Jul 2014

CNMI police looking for 2 Japanese sisters

7:47 pm on 2 July 2014

Police in the Northern Marianas are looking for two Japanese sisters who have been reported missing after they failed to appear for their scheduled departure on Monday.

The sisters' rental car was found parked at Wing Beach on Saipan.

A police search for the women, who are aged 28 and 33, began on Tuesday afternoon.

The U.S. Coast Guard has been assisting police with an aerial search and a surface dive is being conducted since police believe the women had an inflatable raft in their possession.

The sisters were staying at Mariana Resort and were last spotted by hotel staff in the parking lot on Sunday afternoon, beside their rental car.

Japan is one of the CNMI's key tourism markets, providing nearly 7,000 visitors in April this year.