The five dead passengers are all British nationals.
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Investigators sought to determine what caused a whale watching boat with 27 people on board to sink off Vancouver Island in seemingly calm weather, killing five people and leaving one person missing. Burridge estimates that every vessel that could be used in the village was in the water searching for missing people.
“Local Ahousaht First Nations fishermen were the first to see this, and rushed to the scene to come to the assistance of our passengers and crew”. “They know these waters. They have a custom not to leave a body out at sea”.
18 people were treated here at Tofino General Hospital, one remains in stable condition.
Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said his thoughts are with the family and friends of those affected by Sunday’s accident.
Three were tourists and two were British nationals who lived in Canada. One of the men was residing in Ontario, and the woman had been living in B.C., but no other information is being released until all the victims’ families have been notified.
Corene Inouye, director of operations at Jamie’s Whaling Station and Adventure Centre, the company that owns the boat, said: “To the best of our knowledge there was no distress call”.
The vessel made a mayday call late Sunday afternoon on what was a clear and sunny day in the tourist community that is a popular destination for whale watchers on Canada’s West Coast, the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre said.
Five people died and 21 were rescued, authorities said.
The accident happened off Tofino, on the west coast of Vancouver Island, where witnesses reported rescue activities on the town’s dock.
Jamie’s Whaling Station was one of the first of its kind off Vancouver Island and had been around for many years, Mr Forde said.
The Transportation Safety Board (TSB) has taken the lead in the investigation and is working closely with the town.
A community potluck gathering will take place in Tofino on Monday evening as residents gather to comfort one another.
He added: “Our faster boats went out there, there were four of our local boats that transported 24 (people) to Tofino and a few of them needed medical attention”. She said: ‘There was absolute pandemonium … paramedics were down there working with those who were critical.
People from the nearby Ahousaht First Nation were among those helping with the search. Military planes and coast guard vessels lit up the area where the vessel remained partially submerged, eight nautical miles northwest of Tofino. “Their looks tell the whole story”, he told Associated Press. “In the world of wildlife viewing, whale-watching is about the safest thing you can do – and we’re not just saying that as an industry association; we’re saying look at the statistics”. Bray said that vessel was struck by a rogue wave but said this incident involved a much larger boat. It seats 46 passengers comfortably, the website said.
There were 70 life jackets on board and three life rafts but passengers did not have time to use them.
A “shocked and saddened” prime minister-elect Justin Trudeau offered his thoughts and prayers to passengers, the crew and families of the victims.
“I went as close as I could to it”, he said.
Both Trudeau and the premier thanked people who helped in the rescue effort.
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Her daughter-in-law, Laura Wyce, said: “It’s just disgusting”.
