Developing story : In the last 3 hours.

Multiple fatalities are reported after a whale watching boat carrying 27 sinks off the coast of British Columbia, Canadian authorities say.
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Whale watching vessel sinks off Tofino, B.C., with fatalities
27 people on board at time of accident
UPDATED6:27 PM PT
CBC News

The Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Victoria has yet to say how many people have died after a�whale watching�vessel sank off the coast of Tofino,�B.C.,�on Sunday.

Rescuers continue to search the water for victims and say�27 people were on board the vessel when it sank.

When contacted, Jamie's Whaling Station told CBC News that it was busy with efforts to assist its passengers and crew.

"I hope you can respect all our effort is on the passengers and crew right now," the�spokesperson said, adding they will have more details soon.

Rami Touffaha�was a witness to efforts being made on the dock in Tofino off of 1st Street by responders.

Touffaha owns�Burnaby Tours and Charters.

"There was about three�ambulances down at the dock," he said. "I think that's pretty much all of Tofino's resources."

He says the vessel that sank was far enough from shore that it could not be seen.

"You could see the smaller boats going back and forth to try and help bring people back to shore," he said.

Touffaha says it was a beautiful day in Tofino with sunny skies.

"The waters weren't choppy so I don't see what could have caused the boat to sink, but you never know in these waters unfortunately," he added.

30min ago
British Columbiaccident
News http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/tour-vessel-sinks-off-tofino-with-fatalities-1.328ago 1/
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10min ago

Canadian authorities: Whale watching boat carrying 27 sinks off British Columbia http://www.timescolonist.com/canadian-authorities-whale-watching-boat-carrying-27-sinks-off-british-columbia-1.2095240/

So very sad.. I am curious as to what happened to have it go down so fast.

Tragic - and they don't have a clue & this was not a small vessel

They will give it time. Nowadays they can find out.
And it wasn't a small boat but it wasn't a huge boat

Whales sink boats. They are quite good at it. The whale could have poor vision and run into the boat, the captain's boat could be too close to the whale, the whale could hear a sound from the vessel that irritates it and ram the boat, and so on.

This would be my first guess, being that it's a whale watching boat. They are not out looking for goldfish, for pete's sake.

it filled up with water...

No words.

Thoughts and prayers.

http://globalnews.ca/news/2298459/boat-with-27-people-on-board-sinks-near-tofino-multiple-fatalities/

Very sad. Was up in Tofino recently and stayed at Jamie's Rainforest Inn. Great people. Devastating for everyone. The waters can get treacherous very quickly. We experienced an exhausting and terrifying crossing from the mainland to the island in September when the winds and seas got suddenly wild. We were literally on our side 3x. I was looking at our tender and thinking, Nope, that isn't going to save us. In reality for someone to find you when you are in the water is quite a feat.

Thanks to all who responded so quickly to rescue the victims of this tragedy. Sending love to all involved.

This same whale watching outfit had a similar incident in 1998 resulting in two fatalities. It was determined by the safety board to be swamping from a large swell.

However, of note, one conflict was reported as the vessel possibly capsizing due to a sudden roll that threw everyone overboard. I find this account in line with a sudden jolt from a whale. Besides, stating that whales are the source of the fatalies would be bad for business.


Link to 1998 Transportation Safety Board of Canada report

Seriously, what are the odds of it happening twice. They are hiding something. I'm sure this next safety report will be interesting, being that seas were noted to be very calm. It will most likely get attributed to a rogue swell when in truth it was a rogue WHALE!

Stop killing people just to make a buck, please!

You can't be serious! Do you know how many whale and wildlife tours there are each year? Citing an incident that happens 17 years ago is truly sensationalist journalism. Considering the treacherous conditions water can present they have a exemplary track record. They are seasoned professionals with experience in extreme conditions. The seas were reported to be calm in Tofino. Out past Vargas Island there were 2 1/2 -3 meter swells. When you get out there the seas are rolling. Sometimes **** just happens.

Very special thanks to Ahousat First Nations for their extremely swift response to save lives. Thanks to all others involved in this difficult rescue including those who open their homes to assist in the recovery. A wonderful community. Condolences to the families who lost loved ones and a quick recovery to the survivors.

You are really jumping the gun here.

Well said