Tuesday 27 October 2015

Father and son dead in Canada whale boat sinking


David and Stephen ThomasImage copyrightThomas family
Two Britons who died when a whale-watching boat sank off the coast of western Canada have been named as a father and son from Swindon.
David Thomas, 50, and his son Stephen, 17, were among five Britons who died. An Australian man is still missing.
Stephen's mother Julie was among those rescued from Leviathan II.
Officials have said more of the 27 people on board the boat could have died had it not been for the "amazing response" from locals around Tofino.
Canadian government investigators are at the scene near Vancouver Island to examine the wreckage of the vessel, its maintenance history and consider the weather at the time.
The cause of the accident remains unknown but sea conditions at the time of the incident were said to be calm.

'Shocked and saddened'

The Down's Syndrome Association described Stephen as "a very talented young man and a gifted photographer".
Chief executive Carol Boys said: "We were all delighted when Stephen's beautiful image 'Moraine Lake' won the national 'My Perspective' photographic competition last year."
She added: "Stephen's father, David, was a huge supporter of the Down's Syndrome Association and one of the driving forces behind the Swindon Down's Syndrome Group where he was a trustee."
Mr Thomas worked for Microsoft. A statement from the company said they were "shocked and saddened" to hear the news.
Michel Van der Bel, Microsoft UK general manager, said: "Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with their family, friends and David's colleagues and we will be doing everything we can to support them."
Map of accident area, Vancouver Island, Canada
Corene Inouye, director of operations at Jamie's Whaling Station and Adventure Centre, the company that owns the boat, said: "It appears the incident happened so quickly that the crew didn't have an opportunity to send out a Mayday."
She added the skipper of the ship has more than 20 years' whale-watching experience and had completed 18 years with the company.
Company owner Jamie Bray said passengers on the boat were not required to wear life jackets as it has enclosed compartments, which would be difficult to exit in the event of a sinking.
Another whale-watching boat operated by the same company capsized in 1998, killing two people, including the boat operator and a tourist from Germany.
Media captionMarine investigator: "It is much too early to say what the causes and contributing factors of this accident might be"

'Amazing response'

Greg Louie, chief councillor of the Ahousaht First Nation Elected Council, told the BBC's Radio 4 Today programme that "possibly everyone" could have drowned or died of hypothermia had the local community not responded to the accident so quickly.
The incident could have been "a lot worse", Lt Cmdr Desmond James of the Canadian Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre in British Columbia said.
He added that 21 people would not have been rescued were it not for the "amazing response" by locals.
Rescue personnel mounting a search for victims of a capsized whale watching boat park on a wharf in Tofino, British Columbia October 25, 2015.Image copyrightReuters
The British victims included another male tourist and two British nationals who lived in Canada - one woman from British Columbia and a man from Ontario, according to the British Columbia coroner's office.
Australian Associated Press reported the missing 27-year-old Sydney man was on the boat with his girlfriend and her family when it sank.
His girlfriend's father was among the five Britons confirmed dead, the news agency said.
British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said his thoughts were with the family and friends of those affected by Sunday's incident.
Canadian prime minister-designate Justin Trudeau said he was "shocked and saddened" by the deaths.

Whale watching off British Columbia

  • Tofino is a popular surfing and whale-watching resort near the Clayoquot area
  • Whale-watching season in Tofino begins in March and ends in late October
  • The area's rugged coastline and national parks attract tens of thousands of tourists every year
  • Canada has over 200,000km (124,000 miles) of coastline, meaning it is one of the best locations for whale watching

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