A vessel carrying 27 people on whale-watching tours sank off the British Columbia coast on Sunday, killing at least five passengers on board, Canadian authorities said. One person remains missing.
The ship went down near Tofino, B.C., on the west coast of Vargas Island, after sending out a “mayday” call around 4 p.m. Pacific Time, according to Toronto news station CP 24.
As of Monday morning, 21 were rescued, five were reported as dead and one missing, The Associated Press reported.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is conducting the search for the missing person, AP said.
“Four victims were transferred to hospital, while another five were being warmed by first responders after spending time in the water,” CBC reported.
CTV News Vancouver reported that the ship belonged to Jamie’s Whaling Station and Adventure Centres.
“The company offers whale watching tours of Tofino and Ucluelet on zodiac-style rigid-hulled inflatable boats, as well as larger 65-foot cruisers,” CTV reported.
Eyewitness Rami Touffaha, who owns Burnaby Tours and Charters, told CBC News that the vessel sunk far enough from shore that he couldn’t see it as he watched first responders operate on the dock.
“There was about three ambulances down at the dock,” he said. “I think that’s pretty much all of Tofino’s resources.”
He also told CBC that the weather in Tofino had been good all day with no obvious cause for choppy waters, though he cautioned that “you never know in these waters, unfortunately.”
Sunday’s sinking is the second this fall off Tofino; a commercial fishing vessel capsized west of the port in September, killing three fishermen.
• Victor Morton can be reached at vmorton@washingtontimes.com.
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