Two dead, one missing after commercial fishing boat capsizes near Tofino

VICTORIA – Three men are dead after a commercial fishing boat capsized near Tofino, B.C.

A fourth man was rescued from a life raft early Sunday morning, said Lt. (Navy) Nicole Murillo with the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre (JRCC).

The crew was hauling in a net when the ship listed, Murillo said.

"They tried to correct it but unfortunately, the ship capsized and subsequently sunk."

The company that owns the 33 metre dragger notified the Coast Guard after crews failed to check-in around 10 p.m. Saturday night.

The Coast Guard sent out three vessels and an aircraft, and found the survivor in a life raft around 1:30 a.m.

He was taken on to a cruise ship that had a full medical facility, and was transferred to hospital in Victoria Sunday afternoon.

The bodies of two of the fishermen were found Sunday morning.

Coast Guard boats and a helicopter, and several fishing vessels searched for the fourth man Sunday, and eventually found his body.

Murillo said early reports indicate the survivor was the only crew member wearing a life jacket.

The boat was fishing in a remote area about 55 kilometres off of the west coast of Vancouver Island.