Man dead, woman and teens rescued after yacht sinks off Vancouver Island
One man is dead after a 12-metre yacht sank in the Strait of Juan de Fuca south of Victoria on Friday.
The British Columbia Coroners Service confirmed Wednesday it is investigating one death that resulted from the incident.
The United States Coast Guard rescued one woman and two teenage girls from a dinghy that was associated with the sinking vessel around 7 p.m.
A U.S. Coast Guard rescue helicopter from Port Angeles, Wash., was dispatched to the scene, approximately three kilometres south of Victoria.
The air crew found and hoisted the woman and teenagers into the aircraft and took them to Victoria General Hospital after they showed signs of hypothermia.
U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Michael Clark says the sunken vessel was found nearby and identified as a 12-metre yacht named A Little Serenity.
The vessel is registered in Kenmore, Wash., northeast of Seattle, and all four people aboard were U.S. citizens, Clark said.
It is not known what caused the yacht to take on water and sink, nor what caused the death of the man on board.
The vessel had no prior contacts with the U.S. Coast Guard and was most recently certified by the agency on April 19, according to U.S. Coast Guard records.
"I can confirm that the B.C. Coroners Service was notified and is investigating one death resulting from this incident," Ryan Panton, spokesperson for the B.C. Coroners Service, said in a statement to CTV News.
"As we're very early in the process of trying to determine all of the facts, I have no additional information available at this time," the statement concluded.
The U.S. Coast Guard says it was first alerted to the vessel in distress by the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Victoria. The agency said the Canadian Coast Guard found the deceased male among the wreckage of the sunken boat and took him away on a Canadian rescue boat.
The Canadian Coast Guard declined to provide any details about the incident, instead referring questions to B.C. Emergency Health Services, which in turn referred questions to the B.C. Coroners Service.
The U.S. Coast Guard says the vessel went down in one-and-a-half-metre seas with winds reaching 37 km/h.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.5539352.1628465336!/httpImage/image.png_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.png)
Alberta calls in army to assist with wildfire situation
Alberta has called in the Canadian Armed Forces to help assist with the worsening wildfire situation in the province.
DEVELOPING First responders relocated from Jasper National Park to Hinton due to wildfire activity
Vehicles and heavy equipment have been seen leaving Jasper National Park throughout Wednesday afternoon.
2 wildfires less than 8 km away from Jasper townsite, some structures impacted in national park
As the evacuation order continues for Jasper National Park, officials confirm that some structures in the park have been damaged by fire, but they can't confirm what those structures are.
WATCH LIVE Biden to use Oval Office address to explain his decision to quit 2024 race, begin to shape legacy
Insisting that 'the defence of democracy is more important than any title,' U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday will explain in an Oval Office address his decision to drop his bid for reelection and to throw his support behind Vice-President Kamala Harris.
Barrie-Innisfil MPP 'blacked-out' and crashed car into window of child care centre
Staff at a Barrie child care centre say they are frustrated by what they call a local MPP's inadequate response after a car crashed through a window in one of the toddler rooms.
2 Canadians being 'sent home immediately,' removed from Olympic team after drone incident
An analyst and an assistant coach with Canada Soccer are being removed from the Canadian Olympic Team and 'sent home immediately,' according to the Canadian Olympic Committee.
An unwelcome attendee has joined the Paris Olympic Games: COVID-19
After a handful of Australian water polo players tested positive for COVID-19 this week, questions have emerged around how the spread of the disease will be mitigated at the Summer Olympic Games in Paris.
Male, female killed, 2 others injured in 'gun battle' outside Toronto plaza: police
Two people are dead and two others suffered serious injuries following a shooting that police have described as a 'gun battle' outside a plaza in Scarborough, Ont. early Wednesday morning.
Wildfire north of Calgary prompts evacuation alert, highway closures
A wildfire is prompting evacuations and highway closures north of Calgary.