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| Canada whale boat: Leviathan II 'no time to send mayday' | Canada whale boat: Leviathan II 'no time to send mayday' |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| A whale-watching boat sank so quickly off the coast of western Canada that there was no opportunity to send a mayday call, its operator has said. | A whale-watching boat sank so quickly off the coast of western Canada that there was no opportunity to send a mayday call, its operator has said. |
| Five Britons were killed when the boat, which was carrying 27 people, sank near Tofino, a popular tourist area on Vancouver Island, on Sunday afternoon. | Five Britons were killed when the boat, which was carrying 27 people, sank near Tofino, a popular tourist area on Vancouver Island, on Sunday afternoon. |
| A sixth person who is missing is Australian, the country's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed. | A sixth person who is missing is Australian, the country's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed. |
| It comes as Canadian government investigators arrived on the scene. | It comes as Canadian government investigators arrived on the scene. |
| The cause of the accident remains unknown but sea conditions at the time of the incident were said to be calm. | The cause of the accident remains unknown but sea conditions at the time of the incident were said to be calm. |
| Canada's Transportation Safety Board says it could take many months to establish what happened. | Canada's Transportation Safety Board says it could take many months to establish what happened. |
| 'Devastated' | 'Devastated' |
| Corene Inouye, director of operations at Jamie's Whaling Station and Adventure Centre, the company that owns the boat, said: "To the best of our knowledge there was no distress call. | Corene Inouye, director of operations at Jamie's Whaling Station and Adventure Centre, the company that owns the boat, said: "To the best of our knowledge there was no distress call. |
| "It appears the incident happened so quickly that the crew didn't have an opportunity to send out a mayday. | "It appears the incident happened so quickly that the crew didn't have an opportunity to send out a mayday. |
| "We have learned that the crew was able to access flares onboard the boat and deployed them from the water." | "We have learned that the crew was able to access flares onboard the boat and deployed them from the water." |
| She said the skipper of the ship has more than 20 years whale watching experience and had completed 18 years with the company. | She said the skipper of the ship has more than 20 years whale watching experience and had completed 18 years with the company. |
| The crew are all licensed and do bi-weekly safety drills, she said. | The crew are all licensed and do bi-weekly safety drills, she said. |
| "The safety and security of our passengers are our main concern and we are absolutely devastated. | "The safety and security of our passengers are our main concern and we are absolutely devastated. |
| "This is a tragic accident and our thoughts and prayers go out to our passengers, crew and everyone impacted." | "This is a tragic accident and our thoughts and prayers go out to our passengers, crew and everyone impacted." |
| At the scene | |
| BBC correspondent James Cook at Tofino, Vancouver Island | |
| Why the Leviathan II went down is a mystery which investigators say they may not solve any time soon. | |
| As well as interviewing survivors and other witnesses, the Transportation Safety Board will be looking into conditions on Sunday, as well as scouring the wreckage of the whale-watching boat for clues, and examining its maintenance history. | |
| The vessel, still submerged, has been towed from the scene to a nearby island so the work can begin. | |
| The weather at the time of the accident was reportedly benign but sailors familiar with these waters say powerful currents, rogue waves and rocks are all potential hazards, even when the conditions appear to be favourable. | |
| A lengthy investigation will be difficult for some to bear. Those touched by this tragedy may well want to know as soon as possible how this could have happened to the same tour operator for a second time. | |
| 'Amazing response' | |
| Greg Louie, chief councillor of the Ahousaht First Nation Elected Council, told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme that the local community quickly responded to a distress call and within minutes the first boat arrived at the scene. | |
| He said: "They pulled people out of the water when they got there. | |
| "Some were hurt and others were deceased." | |
| Had they not arrived so quickly "possibly everyone could have died, either drowned or died of hypothermia", he added. | |
| Mr Louie said it was not known why the whale-watching boat capsized. | |
| Lt Cmdr Desmond James of the Canadian Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre in British Columbia said 21 people would not have been rescued were it not for the "amazing response" by the local community. | |
| He said: "It could have been a lot worse were it not for the effort of all the volunteers who went out there and all the, we call them vessels of opportunity, that went out on the water and did everything they could. It's courtesy of them that we're not in a worse situation." | |
| Company owner Jamie Bray said they were all "traumatised" and said the 20m (65ft) boat, Leviathan II, had operated for 20 years "with an absolutely perfect safety record". | Company owner Jamie Bray said they were all "traumatised" and said the 20m (65ft) boat, Leviathan II, had operated for 20 years "with an absolutely perfect safety record". |
| "This is something just totally out of the blue," he said. | "This is something just totally out of the blue," he said. |
| He said passengers on the boat were not required to wear life jackets as it has enclosed compartments, which would be difficult to exit in the event of a sinking. | He said passengers on the boat were not required to wear life jackets as it has enclosed compartments, which would be difficult to exit in the event of a sinking. |
| Barbara McLintock from the British Columbia coroner's office, said the victims, four men and one woman, ranged in age from 18 to 76. | Barbara McLintock from the British Columbia coroner's office, said the victims, four men and one woman, ranged in age from 18 to 76. |
| Three were tourists on holiday from the UK, while two were UK nationals living in Canada - one woman from British Columbia and a man from Ontario. | Three were tourists on holiday from the UK, while two were UK nationals living in Canada - one woman from British Columbia and a man from Ontario. |
| Australian Associated Press reported that the family of the missing 27-year-old Sydney man said he was on the boat with his girlfriend and her family when it sank. | Australian Associated Press reported that the family of the missing 27-year-old Sydney man said he was on the boat with his girlfriend and her family when it sank. |
| His girlfriend's father was among the five Britons confirmed dead, the news agency said. | His girlfriend's father was among the five Britons confirmed dead, the news agency said. |
| A dive team from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police is searching for the missing man. | A dive team from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police is searching for the missing man. |
| Eyewitness Alec Dick, from nearby Ahousaht First Nation, told Canada's Global News network: "They got swamped by a wave. It just flipped their boat completely. I've never seen, in my involvement with search and rescue, heard this happen before." | Eyewitness Alec Dick, from nearby Ahousaht First Nation, told Canada's Global News network: "They got swamped by a wave. It just flipped their boat completely. I've never seen, in my involvement with search and rescue, heard this happen before." |
| Another whale-watching boat operated by Jamie's Whaling Station and Adventure Centre capsized in 1998, killing two people, including the boat operator and a tourist from Germany. | Another whale-watching boat operated by Jamie's Whaling Station and Adventure Centre capsized in 1998, killing two people, including the boat operator and a tourist from Germany. |
| The six-metre vessel was on a three-hour trip in the area of Plover Reef when it was hit by a large swell, throwing four people into the water. | The six-metre vessel was on a three-hour trip in the area of Plover Reef when it was hit by a large swell, throwing four people into the water. |
| Tofino is a popular destination for tourists wanting to spot humpback and Pacific Gray whales, and trips usually last up to three hours. | Tofino is a popular destination for tourists wanting to spot humpback and Pacific Gray whales, and trips usually last up to three hours. |
| Whale watching off British Columbia | Whale watching off British Columbia |
| Are you in the area? Do you have information that you wish to share? You can contact us by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk with your experiences. | Are you in the area? Do you have information that you wish to share? You can contact us by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk with your experiences. |
| Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways: | Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways: |
| Or you can comment here: | Or you can comment here: |