SEATTLE -- A 150-foot fishing boat that washed away last March following Japan's devastating earthquake and tsunami has been spotted off the coast of British Columbia, NBC station KING 5 of Seattle reported Friday.
The boat was found floating right side up about 120 nautical miles off the Queen Charlotte Islands, the office of U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., told KING 5 News.
KING 5 said that Japanese officials had confirmed that the boat was lost after the tsunami. It is estimated the boat would make landfall in about 50 days, but it will likely be removed by then because it is a hazard to navigation, KING 5 reported.
This is the first large piece of debris found off the North American coast confirmed to have been washed from Japan by the tsunami, KING 5 said.
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