6 still missing, 4 rescued after charter boat sinks in B.C.'s Georgia Strait

quaternity people feature been reclaimed but a look continues for sextuplet people missing after a charter boat sank in British Columbia's Georgia Strait on Sunday.

One of the people rescued was taken to hospital in critical condition, while the other three were in stable condition, according to B.C. Emergency Health Services.

The B.C. RCMP said it is believed that 10 people were aboard the boat when it began taking on water near Roberts Bank, about 10 nautical miles southwest of Vancouver Airport, at around 11:45 a.m. PT.

Around the same time, the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) said it was notified by a civilian vessel of "several people in the water without personal flotation devices."

The JRCC deployed a CH-149 Cormorant helicopter and a CC-295 Kingfisher aircraft from Comox, B.C., along with the Canadian Coast Guard Hovercraft Siyay and Main Lifeboat Station Ganges, plus auxiliary rescue resources.

Two RCMP vessels as well as an RCMP Black Hawk and an H145 Airbus helicopter also joined the search.

As of 3:15 p.m. PT, the JRCC said four people had been taken to the Sea Island Coast Guard Station and transferred to paramedics.

However, it said the search was ongoing for another six people believed to be in the water.

RCMP said the cause of the incident remained unknown, and the circumstances were still under investigation.

6 missing, 4 pulled from B.C.'s Georgia Strait amid marine rescue

B.C. Ferries said it diverted two vessels on the Tsawwassen-Duke Point route, the Queen of Alberni and the Coastal Inspiration, to help with the search.

Natasha Jung and her family were aboard the Queen of Alberni when she says the captain notified passengers they were joining the search.

"I had my five-year-old with me and he was asking questions about what happened and why we were, kind of, stalled in our trip," she said.

"But he was also very patient and understanding that, you know, some people were in the water and we had to, you know, join efforts to to find these people and bring them to safety. "

Jung said that when the ferry stopped there was a sailboat nearby that began circling that may have been assisting with the search.

She added that a hovercraft and helicopter were quick to arrive and begin circling the area, and were joined by a number of civilian vessels.

"I could see the boats coming in quite speedily from different areas to support the search efforts," she said.

"I've never seen anything like that before ... It made me really proud to be Canadian."

B.C. Ferries said the vessels did not physically retrieve anyone from the water and were cleared to depart around 2 p.m. PT as other assets joined the search.

More stories from Vancouver Island

More to come.

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