A whale-watching tour boat with 27 passengers on board sank off the coast of the Canadian province of British Columbia on Sunday, killing five people with one missing, rescue officials said.
Twenty-one people had been rescued when the search was called off late at night, Canadian Forces’ joint rescue coordination center spokeswoman Melissa Kai said.
A military rescue helicopter and aircraft had been sent to the waters off the coast of Tofino after the vessel sent a distress signal about 5pm, the center said.
Several other coast guard vessels were involved in the search off the rugged west coast of Vancouver Island.
The case had now been turned over to Canadian police as a missing persons case, Kai said.
Eighteen people were taken to Tofino General Hospital, three of whom were transferred to other island health facilities, Vancouver Island health spokeswoman Val Wilson told reporters.
All were in a stable condition. Some at the Tofino hospital had already been discharged, she said.
Earlier in the evening, military aircraft and coast guard vessels lit up the area where the vessel remained partially submerged, 8 nautical miles (14.82km) northwest of Tofino.
The manager of the Shelter Restaurant in Tofino said fishermen and fishing charter companies had joined the rescue effort, with about 15 to 20 boats leaving the tourist town.
“Practically anyone who can go will go,” said Matthew, who did not give his last name. “People here get together to help when things like this happen.”
Tofino, a community of about 2,000 people, is a popular tourist destination for surfers, hikers and whale watchers from around the world.
“All our attention now is on our passengers and crew so we’ll be providing information as soon as the time is appropriate,” said a staff member with Jamie’s Whaling Station and Adventure Centres, which operated the vessel, the Leviathan II.
In 1998, a boat operated by the same company sank near Tofino, killing the ship’s captain and a German tourist.
John Forde, who works at another eco-adventure company, said passengers on a vessel like the Leviathan II, a three-deck 20m cruiser that can carry up to 46 people, would not have to wear life jackets.
The boat, like ferries, would only be required to have life jackets on board.
“The sea was 3m to 4m, a fairly big sea, but not much wind or too unusual for the conditions we deal with on a regular basis out here,” Forde, who took part in the rescue for several hours, told Global television.
‘IN A DIFFERENT PLACE’: The envoy first visited Shanghai, where he attended a Chinese basketball playoff match, and is to meet top officials in Beijing tomorrow US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday arrived in China on his second visit in a year as the US ramps up pressure on its rival over its support for Russia while also seeking to manage tensions with Beijing. The US diplomat tomorrow is to meet China’s top brass in Beijing, where he is also expected to plead for restraint as Taiwan inaugurates president-elect William Lai (賴清德), and to raise US concerns on Chinese trade practices. However, Blinken is also seeking to stabilize ties, with tensions between the world’s two largest economies easing since his previous visit in June last year. At the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese