http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/br ... ing-sinks-1.3288391
The five British nationals — four males and one female — who died after a whale-watching boat capsized off the coast of B.C. Sunday, ranged in age from 18 to 76, the B.C. Coroners Service says.
Three were tourists on vacation, while one resided in Ontario and the female deceased was a resident of British Columbia.
The MV Leviathan II that sank near Tofino belonged to Jamie's Whaling Station, owned by Jamie Bray.
"Traumatized would be an appropriate word. Disbelief," said Bray when asked today about the capsizing.
"This is an area that the boat goes to every day" and has for 20 years, said Bray. "Yesterday was no different." British reaction
Earlier today, British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond issued a statement saying, "My thoughts are with the family and friends of all those affected by this terrible accident."
"Consular staff in British Columbia are supporting the family members of those who have died and we will remain in close contact with Canadian authorities as further information becomes available."
RAW Tofino B.C. fatalities1:12
One unidentified person remains missing in the waters off the west coast of Vancouver Island. The search, which paused during the night, resumed this morning at daylight.
Twenty-four passengers and three crew members were aboard the whale-watching boat when it capsized near Vargas Island, 40 minutes north of Tofino.
Local boats and coast guard were able to rescue 21 people. Eighteen people were taken to Tofino General Hospital Sunday, and some were subsequently transferred to other hospitals.
As of Monday, CBC has been able to confirm that four patients remain in hospital, one each at Tofino General, Nanaimo General, Royal Jubilee Hospitals in Victoria and Vancouver General. No information on their conditions was available.
A lone candle at the edge of Tofino's wood piling First Street Dock flickered in the darkness early Monday as the cloud-shrouded full moon cast beams of light out into the harbour.
"I saw them save someone's life. They saved a woman's life, I'm sure of it," said Sheila Simpson, who was strolling on the dock with her husband when rescue boats roared up carrying people from the whale-watching vessel.
"One didn't make it," said Simpson about a man whose body was covered by a blanket.
Whale-watching expedition turns deadly in Tofino4:28
Simpson, who lives on Denman Island, said she was in Tofino visiting a friend at the local hospital when she saw people arriving in boats, and the ambulances and police at the dock.
She said she managed to comfort some of the people who were on the capsized vessel as they stood on the dock awaiting transport to hospital or to their hotels.
"They were in absolute shock," said Simpson. "You could see it in their eyes. This didn't happen. We came on a holiday."
Boats that attended the ship's mayday call on Sunday around 4 p.m. found it partially submerged about 15 kilometres northwest of Tofino.
Some of the first to arrive at the accident scene were from the nearby Ahousaht First Nation, said aboriginal Coun. Tom Campbell.
He was on the Tofino waterfront and watched as rescue personnel brought several of the survivors ashore.  The Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Victoria confirms that the MV Leviathan II sank off the coast of Tofino, B.C., on Sunday with 27 passengers on board. (Jamie's Whaling Station)
"Their looks tell the whole story," he said by telephone from Tofino. "You can't describe looks on people that are lost. They look totally lost — shocked and lost."
Campbell, who wasn't on the water, said his cousin pulled at least eight people into a boat on Sunday afternoon.
Valerie Wilson, a spokeswoman for the Vancouver Island Health Authority, said 18 people were brought to the Tofino General Hospital.
Three who were more seriously injured were transferred to other hospitals on Vancouver Island and were in stable condition, Wilson said. The condition of the others wasn't known. Fishermen pulled bodies from water
Joe Martin, a member of the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation, was near the dock in Tofino when the rescue boats began returning to the tourism community.
"I did see a boat come in with three bodies on board and then another one arrived and there were two."
Martin said two people were brought in on a Zodiac, where workers tried to resuscitate them but eventually covered them with blankets.
He said his brother and nephew were out halibut fishing when they saw the overturned boat and tried to help. Instead, the men pulled in three bodies, he said.
The vessel was on the far side of Vargas Island in Clayoquot Sound, an area that Martin said could get really rough.
"It wasn't even blowing hard [Sunday]. This is the largest boat in Tofino and I was really surprised that it went down."
Rami Touffaha, who owns Burnaby Tours and Charters, was a witness to efforts being made on the dock in Tofino off of First Street by responders. |
發表於 2015-10-26 14:36
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