RCMP recover 3 bodies after float plane crash off Vancouver Island
Mounties say they have recovered the bodies of all three people who were aboard a float plane that crashed off B.C.'s central coast last week.
The crash occurred Wednesday afternoon in Strachan Bay, about 50 kilometres north of Port Hardy.
Wreckage of the plane wasn't found until two days after the crash on Friday, despite immediate search efforts.
On Monday, the RCMP said the bodies of all three people aboard were located over the weekend.
"Efforts to locate the plane and any potential survivors have been ongoing since the day of the crash,” said Cpl. Alex Bérubé, spokesperson for the BC RCMP, in a statement.
"Working through challenging weather conditions, our divers were able to locate the bodies of the pilot and the two passengers on Saturday, Nov. 26," he said.
Police say there's no suspected criminality involved in the crash.
The BC Coroners Service is continuing its investigation and is now in possession of the bodies.
Shortly after the crash, Port Hardy Mayor Patricia Corbett-Labatt told CTV News the fatal crash was "devastating" for the community.
The plane was heading from a logging camp in B.C.'s central coast to Port Hardy.
The plane was owned by Air Cab, which is based out of Coal Harbour, near Port Hardy.
Joel Eilersten, owner of Air Cab, told CTV News that he had ongoing concerns about two weather stations in the area that had been out of service for quite some time.
After the crash occurred, the Transportation Safety Board said it was dispatching investigators to the scene.
With files from CTV News Vancouver Island's Gord Kurbis and The Canadian Press.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canada tracked suspected Chinese spy balloon over Canadian airspace since last weekend: sources
The suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that was found floating over sensitive military sites in the western United States had been tracked by Canada's government since last weekend as it passed through Canadian airspace, sources tell CTV News.

Oldest preserved vertebrate brain found in 319-million-year-old fish fossil
The oldest preserved vertebrate brain has been found in a 319-million-year-old fossilized fish skull that was removed from an English coal mine over a century ago.
B.C. man who was mistaken for target, shot by police in 2013 has lawsuit dismissed
A B.C. man who was mistaken for the target in a police takedown and shot by an officer in 2013 has had his lawsuit alleging negligence dismissed.
Bodies are those of 3 rappers missing nearly 2 weeks: Detroit police
Three bodies found in a vacant Detroit-area apartment building have been identified as those of three aspiring rappers who went missing nearly two weeks ago, police said Friday.
Jury: Musk didn't defraud investors with 2018 Tesla tweets
A jury on Friday decided Elon Musk didn't deceive investors with his 2018 tweets about electric automaker Tesla.
Stars disappearing before our eyes faster than ever: report
A new research from a citizen science program suggests that stars are disappearing before our eyes at an 'astonishing rate.'
Ottawa tight-lipped on details as Canada, U.S. call out China over balloon
Canada announced that it had called China's ambassador onto the carpet as Ottawa and Washington expressed their disapproval Friday over a high-altitude balloon found to have been hovering over sensitive sites in the United States.
Federal department fires 49 employees for claiming CERB while employed
A federal government department has fired 49 employees who received the Canada Emergency Response Benefit while they were employed.
White-tailed deer harbouring COVID-19 variants thought to be nearly extinct in humans: study
White-tailed deer may be a reservoir for COVID-19 variants of concern including Alpha, Delta and Gamma, according to new research out of Cornell University that raises questions about whether deer could re-introduce nearly extinct variants back into the human population.