Over the past two months at least eight unmanned ships have been found along Japan’s coast, between them carrying the decaying bodies of 20 people.

The first boat was found back in October with more last month, and coast guard officials believe they know what’s behind these rather gruesome discoveries. CNN reports:

Their best guess so far is that the ships are from North Korea.

One clue pointing that direction is Korean lettering on the hull of a boat containing 10 decomposing bodies, one of three boats which were found adrift off the city of Wajima on the west coast of Japan on November 20.

The writing said “Korean People’s Army,” the name of North Korea’s military defense forces, the coast guard said.

Another clue could come from a tattered scrap of cloth found on one of the boats, which looks like it could be from a North Korean national flag…

As it has become more difficult for Korean defectors to flee the oppressive regime, the border with China now more tightly policed, those wanting to escape have had to turn to riskier methods.

Yoshihiko Yamada, a maritime expert, [said] that the vessels bear a “striking resemblance” to those used by defectors from North Korea.

He gave a possible explanation for the fleet and its deathly crew arriving on Japan’s shores: “(The boats) are made of wood and are old and heavy. They can’t travel very fast and the engines are not powerful enough to turn the ships against the currents.”

As is the case with the Syrian refugees you can only imagine the horrors of life in your own country when these are the lengths you will go to in order to escape.

[source:cnn]