The remains of up to seven people, believed to be from North Korea, have been found on a boat that washed up on the coast of Japan.

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The bow of the wooden boat washed ashore on Sado Island, on the northwest coast of Japan on Friday, according to the BBC.

Coast Guard officers suspect the bow, which had Korean lettering painted on the side, was part of a North Korean vessel.

The Coast Guard and police found up to seven partially skeletonised bodies inside the vessel during a search on Saturday morning, according to Japanese news agency NHK.

The BBC reported the remains included five bodies and two human heads.

Coast Guard officers said a number of wooden boats from North Korea washed ashore around this time of year after being blown off course by north-westerly winds.

Instances of 'ghost ships' washing up in the region are common.

In January 2018, eight suspected North Korean bodies washed ashore from a wrecked "ghost ship" in central Japan.

The Japanese Coastguard reported 104 of these wooden vessels were detected in 2017 and 66 in 2016.