Barbara McLintock, from the British Columbia coroner’s office, confirmed that the British victims included three male tourists and two British nationals who lived in Canada – one woman from British Columbia and a man from Ontario.
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A further 21 people were rescued from the water by coastguard and civilian boats.
Twenty-seven passengers were on board when the boat made a mayday call at about 5pm local time. Thoughts are with those affected.
Boats from the nearby Ahoushat First Nation arrived first on the scene, said aboriginal Councilor Tom Campbell.
“We can tell you that the skipper of the MV Leviathan II has over 20 years whale watching experience in these waters – 18 years with our company”.
He was on the waterfront and watched as rescue personnel brought several of the survivors ashore. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, citing BC Ambulance, said four people were taken to hospital and five were being treated after being pulled from the water.
Military planes and coast guard vessels lit up the area where the vessel remained partially submerged, eight nautical miles northwest of Tofino.
Justin Trudeau, Canada’s recently elected Prime Minister-designate, expressed his thanks to those involved in the rescue.
“We’re still just beginning to get the details from what has occurred yesterday and our first priority is doing everything we can to assist our passengers crew and the families of those who have been impacted by this tragic incident”, Inouye said.
The Transportation Safety Board (TSB) has taken the lead in the investigation and is working closely with the town.
The mayor of Tofino, Josie Osborne, told the Toronto Star: “Everybody’s heart is just breaking for what’s going on here and wanting to be as helpful as possible”.
The boat was carrying 24 passengers and three crew members when it sank and is believed to have been hit by a large wave.
The company had a fatal accident in 1998 after a smaller whale-watching vessel overturned, killing two people.
A whale-watching boat with 27 people on board has sunk off western Canada, leaving at least four people reported dead, according to Canadian broadcaster CBC.
According to Joe Martin, who was near the dock when rescue boats went out, the ship was in Clayoquot Sound on the far side of Vargas Island.
He said tour operators go above and beyond to make sure their passengers are safe.
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Acting Sub-Lieutenant Melissa Kai, of the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in British Columbia, said the rescue operation had finished at 11.10pm local time (8.10am GMT). This incident has shaken the close-knit community of Tofino, and I know that the weeks and months ahead will be hard.
