KAMEOKA, Kyoto Prefecture—A father and son who were aboard the sightseeing boat that capsized in the Hozugawa river here described how they clung together in the frigid water to survive.

Tomoya Toyota, center, head of the association of pleasure boat companies for the Hozugawa river, based in Kameoka, Kyoto Prefecture, speaks to reporters at a news conference on March 29.

Cruises on the Hozu River began in the Meiji period. The trips run throughout the year, except the year-end and New Year holidays, and carry 200,000 to 250,000 passengers annually.