Ghost boats full of skeletons keep washing ashore in Japan

Japanese officials have a mystery on their hands. Decrepit "ghost boats" carrying human corpses are washing ashore, and no one really knows why.

Since October, a dozen wooden fishing boats have been discovered off Japan's west coast. Among the cargo were 22 "partially skeletonized" human bodies, according to police and Japan's coast guard, CNN reports.

Now, officials are trying to piece together an explanation.

Here's why all signs point to North Korea.

At least a dozen "ghost boats" have washed ashore in Japan since October. This map marks the approximate discovery sites in red.

Wooden, dilapidated, and incredibly spooky — none of the fishing boats have been reported missing by the North Korean government.

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Source: Reuters

Still, the Japanese Coast Guard suspects that's where they originated. One clue is a scrap of the North Korean flag found aboard a ship.

Source: Reuters