Search and rescue crews have suspended the search for six people who remain missing after a boat capsized in the Strait of Georgia off the coast of southern British Columbia on Sunday. Richmond RCMP say the missing are four men and two women, who are now presumed dead, and that the operation has shifted from a rescue effort to the grim task of recovering their bodies from the water.
The first help to reach those in the water came from a passing sailing vessel, whose crew managed to get three people hanging onto their dinghy and tried to reach a fourth. Authorities praised the quick actions of those aboard, which kept several of the victims afloat in the crucial early moments before official rescue assets were able to arrive at the scene.
A hovercraft was dispatched to the area very quickly to assist, and crews ultimately got four people aboard the Canadian Coast Guard hovercraft based at Sea Island. Those four were then handed over to emergency health services for transportation to hospitals, as responders raced against time and worsening conditions on the water.
The search continued throughout the day, but just before 10 p.m. on Sunday the regional search and rescue commander made the difficult decision to suspend it. With the chances of finding further survivors exhausted, the focus turned to recovery, and Richmond RCMP confirmed that efforts were now concentrated on locating the remaining six people.
An RCMP underwater recovery team is expected to attend the area in the coming days to try to find the capsized boat, which is believed to have sunk in very deep waters. Investigators say the depth involved will make the recovery operation especially challenging as they work to piece together exactly how the vessel came to overturn.
Of those who were rescued alive, police said a 26-year-old man and a 33-year-old woman have since been discharged from hospital. However, a 33-year-old man and a 28-year-old woman both remained in critical condition, underscoring the severity of the ordeal endured by everyone who had been on board the boat.
Richmond RCMP said efforts were also underway to notify the next of kin of those still missing, as families confronted an agonising wait for news. Authorities have not yet released the identities of the victims, and the investigation into how the vessel capsized in the Strait of Georgia is expected to continue alongside the recovery operation in the days ahead.