Tour Boat Sinks: Whale Watching Boat Sinks Near British Columbia, 5 People Dead, 1 Missing (TWEETS, UPDATED)

UPDATE Oct. 26, 2:25 a.m. EDT:

Five people have died and one remains missing after a whale watching boat carrying 27 people sank off the coast of Tofino, B.C. on Sunday, confirmed Canadian authorities.

Acting Sub-Lieutenant Melissa Kai with the Joint Rescue Coordination Center in British Columbia said five people lost their lives in the accident, 21 people were rescued and one person is still missing. An investigation into the incident is being carried out and the Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has taken over control, she added, according to ABC News.

The Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre said that the search for the survivor has been called off overnight as the RCMP take over the case of the missing person, CBC News reported.

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A whale-watching boat has sunk off the coast of Tofino, B.C. on Sunday, leaving at least four people dead, said the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre (JRCC) in Victoria, CBC News reported.

The JRCC confirmed that the whale-watching vessel MV Leviathan II, operated by Jamie's Whaling Station, had 27 people on board, when it sank eight nautical miles west of Tofino.

The rescue center said that four people were pulled out of the water without any vital signs and that search and rescue efforts are underway with the Canadian Coast Guard, local water taxi companies, the Ahousaht First Nation and other private vessels all helping in the search.

"Everybody's heart is just breaking for what's going on here and wanting to be as helpful as possible," Lieutenant commander Desmond Craig, a spokesman for the rescue agency, said, according to The Vancouver Sun.

British Columbia emergency health services spokeswoman, Jenn Hamilton, said five ambulances were dispatched and several off-duty paramedics also arrived at the Tofino dock to help out, according to The Guardian.

Valerie Wilson, a spokeswoman for Island Health, said that eight survivors were admitted to the Tofino General hospital: seven are stable and one person is in serious condition, but is expected to survive.

Three other people were transferred to out-of-town hospitals to receive treatment, two of them were airlifted and one was transported via ground ambulance. Their conditions are not yet known.

Tofino is a popular tourist destination known for whale-watching, surfing and fishing.

Tags

Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, Search, Rescue, Vessel, Dead