Boaters rescued off Vancouver Island after fleeing burning vessel
Two people are safe after their 14-metre vessel caught fire and sank in rough seas off the north end of Vancouver Island.
The operators of the 14-metre pleasure craft issued a mayday call over marine radio around 1:30 p.m. Monday, according to a spokesperson for Canada’s Maritime Forces Pacific (MARPAC).
Military and coast guard personnel at the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Victoria were unable to locate the source of the distress signal and subsequent attempts to make contact over the emergency channel went unanswered.
Coincidentally, a floatplane pilot who happened to be over the area spotted a large vessel burning near Egg Island, B.C., and called authorities to report that two people were in a rowboat apparently heading for shore.
A Buffalo search-and-rescue plane and a Cormorant helicopter were dispatched from Canadian Forces Base Comox, and the floatplane circled the scene for nearly an hour before the first rescuers arrived.
The Buffalo aircraft was first on scene and dropped a radio and a sea-rescue kit, including a life raft, down to the rowboat, according to MARPAC spokesperson Sub-Lt. Joshua Ehnisz.
A pair of coast guard vessels stationed two hours away in Port Hardy, B.C., were also sent to the scene.
The rescue plane remained over the area while the helicopter was re-routed after determining the two lifeboat occupants were the only people aboard the stricken vessel when the fire broke out.
A fishing boat picked up the two survivors approximately 15 minutes later. The duo were eventually transferred to a coast guard vessel and taken to Port Hardy.
The stranded boaters were uninjured and did not require medical attention, according MARPAC. Their 14-metre pleasure craft burned and sank as the coast guard arrived.
Ehnisz estimated the seas were 4.5 metres high at the time of the rescue.
Egg Island is approximately 40 kilometres north of Vancouver Island.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Air traveller complaints to Canadian Transportation Agency hit new high
The Canadian Transportation Agency has hit a record high of more than 71,000 complaints in a backlog. The quasi-judicial regulator and tribunal tasked with settling disputes between customers and the airlines says the backlog is growing because the number of incoming complaints keeps increasing.
LIVE @ 1:15 PT B.C. premier to give announcement related to public drug use
B.C.'s premier is scheduled to give an update Friday about public drug use in the province.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
AFN chief says Air Canada offered a 15% discount after her headdress was mishandled
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief complained to Air Canada about how staffers treated her and her ceremonial headdress on a flight this week, she says the airline responded by offering a 15 per cent discount on her next flight.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.
76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid says he has Bell's palsy
Philadelphia 76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid has been diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, a form of facial paralysis he says has affected him since before the play-in tournament.
DEVELOPING Bird flu outbreaks: WHO weighs in on public health risk
The current overall public health risk posed by the H5N1 bird flu virus is low, the World Health Organization said on Friday, but urged countries to stay alert for cases of animal-to-human transmission.
Island near Mull of Kintyre for sale for US$3.1 million
An idyllic 453-acre private island is up for sale off the west coast of Scotland and it comes with sandy beaches, puffins galore, seven houses, a pub, a helipad and a flock of black-faced sheep.