— from the Vancouver Sun —
Five British nationals are confirmed dead and one person is missing after a tour vessel from a Tofino whale-watching company sank Sunday afternoon with 27 people on board.
Three of the dead were tourists in Canada, while one lived in Ontario and the other in B.C., according to the BC Coroners Service. The victims include four men and one woman between the ages of 18 and 76.
An official with the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre said that 21 people were rescued before the search was called off late Sunday night. Mounties have taken charge of the search for the one remaining missing passenger, and RCMP crews, along with Coast Guard and local search and rescue workers, were all out on the water Monday morning.
The Leviathan II, a 65-foot covered cruiser operated by Jamie’s Whaling Station, was near Plover Reef, west of Vargas Island, when it sent a mayday call shortly after 4 p.m. Passengers on the vessel would not have been required to wear lifejackets while on deck.
? DOES ANYONE KNOW IF THE “ROGUE WAVE” COULD HAVE BEEN FROM A LARGE EARTHQUAKE WEST-NW OF PORT HARDY? ABOUT THEN, THERE WAS A GOOD-SIZED ONE.