The search for six people who have not been accounted for after a charter boat capsized in the Strait of Georgia Sunday has been suspended.
In a statement to CityNews, Capt. Pedram Mohyeddin, public relations officer for Marine Forces Pacific, Canadian Armed Forces, says the operation has been transitioned to the RCMP.
“At 9:45 p.m., the Regional Search and Rescue Commander for the Victoria Search and Rescue Region made the decision to suspend the search and rescue operation,” Mohyeddin said.
“All further inquiries should be directed to the RCMP and the appropriate local authorities.”
The Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) Victoria says it received the initial mayday report of several people in the water without personal flotation devices around 10 nautical miles southwest of the Vancouver International Airport just before noon. After a search that included aircraft from 19 Wing Comox, the Canadian Coast Guard, BC Ferries, several civilian vessels, and the RCMP, four people were recovered, it says. The search for the remaining six people continued through the rest of the day.
More to come.