A major rescue mission was launched after a charter boat carrying 10 people capsized in the waters off Point Roberts. According to officials, the vessel went over with all 10 people on board.
The location of the incident was given as about 18 kilometres southwest of Vancouver International Airport. Crews moved into the area to try to reach those who had been on the boat.
According to reports, four people were rescued from the water by the Joint Rescue Coordination Center. One of the four people who were pulled out was said to be in critical condition.
It was believed that another six people from the boat remained in the water after the capsizing. That left rescuers searching for those who had not yet been found.
In an update, the Canadian Armed Forces said that at 9:45 p.m. the regional search and rescue commander for the Victoria search and rescue region made a decision about the operation. The commander decided to suspend the search and rescue effort.
The suspension of the operation came with six of the people who had been on the boat still unaccounted for. The four people pulled from the water were the only ones reported to have been recovered, with one of them in critical condition.
In a further update, authorities said the search for the six people still missing had been suspended and that those people are now presumed dead. The incident was described as a charter boat that capsized in the Strait of Georgia off the coast of southern British Columbia on Sunday.
According to Richmond RCMP, the six who remain missing are four men and two women. Police said efforts have now shifted from the search to recovering the bodies of those who were not found.
Police also gave an update on the survivors. The RCMP said that, of those who were rescued, a 26-year-old man and a 33-year-old woman have been discharged from hospital. A civilian sailing vessel that came upon the scene was credited with getting three people who had been hanging onto a dinghy out of the water.