Whale watching boat with 27 people on board capsizes off Tofino; fatalities confirmed

A whale watching vessel with 27 people on board sank near Plover Reef, west of Vargas Island and northwest of Tofino, late this afternoon.

JRCC says the search has been called off. 21 people have been found, 5 are dead and 1 is still missing.

RCMP will assume responsibility for the person still unaccounted for.

The vessel was reportedly on a whale watching trip when it made a mayday call shortly before 4 p.m.

“All hands on deck here, everyone who has a boat in the nearby village of Ahousaht First Nations were in their boats right away to help,” Syl Joseph-Albany tells Victoria Buzz.

The vessel known as Leviathan II is owned by a local tour group in Tofino. is owned by Jamie’s Whale Watching, a local whale watching company in Tofino.

CBC contacted Jamie’s Whaling Station and were told 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

An employee with Tofino Water Taxi tells Global BC multiple boats and divers have gathered in the area to search. He tells Global News the vessel is the Leviathan II, a 65-foot cruiser vessel.

“The sea was 3 to 4 metres, a fairly big sea, but not much wind or too unusual for the conditions we deal with on a regular basis out here,” said John Forde of the Tofino Whale Centre.

There are unconfirmed reports the boat may have sank after a rogue wave.

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

WATCH: Chris McLellan, a nearby resident at the dock where the Whale Watching tour takes place, describes the events of the rescue