Five tourists die in Canada whale-watching trip

Five tourists lost their lives while they were on a whale-watching trip in Canada, when the boat they were on sank off Vancouver island, according to international news reports.

The Guardian reports that the whale-watching company told how its crew had no time to react as their boat, carrying 27 passengers, sank, killing five British passengers and leaving an Australian missing.

According to reports, 21 people were rescued and an Australian man, understood to be from Sydney, has remained unaccounted for after the 20 m long vessel capsized on Sunday afternoon.

According to the Guardian, the owner and staff of Jamie’s Whaling Station held a press conference on Monday where they said they were all traumatised by events, and that the boat had been operating normally on a route it had followed twice a day for the past 20 years.

It is not yet known what caused the accident, but according to the crew members, it happened so fast that they were unable to send a signal, and only managed to release flares when they were in the water.

During the conference, staff also said that the captain had over 20 years of experience, 18 of those at the company and that the other two crew members were fully trained.

Tofino, where the vessel was travelling, is a fishing village and popular holiday destination famous for its whale watching, surfing and fishing as well as its proximity to natural hot springs and old-growth rainforest, the Guardian adds.