Coast guard rescues 4 from frigid waters off northern Vancouver Island
Four people were rescued from the frigid waters off northern Vancouver Island after their boat was damaged by pounding seas and they were forced to abandon ship Wednesday evening.
A spokesperson for B.C. Emergency Health Services says the agency received a call from the coast guard saying four people were in need of medical attention at approximately 6:40 p.m.
Three ambulances were dispatched to the coast guard dock in Port Hardy, B.C., where paramedics treated all four victims and transported them to hospital.
Authorities with the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Victoria say rescuers were alerted to a vessel in distress approximately seven nautical miles – or 13 kilometres – from Port Hardy at 6:19 p.m.
A nearby fish-farm vessel, the Coastal Server, spotted emergency flares from the four-member crew after the windows of their 7.5-metre workboat were smashed by surging waves, according to the coast guard.
Canadian Coast Guard ships Florencia Bay and Sir William Grenfell were dispatched to the scene, along with a pair of fast rescue boats and a Cormorant helicopter from Canadian Forces Base Comox.
The crew of one of the fast rescue boats pulled the stranded mariners from the water and delivered them to the paramedics on the coast guard dock, according to Maritime Forces Pacific spokesperson Acting Sub-Lt. Kim Wachockier.
The rescued boaters had been in the water for approximately 45 minutes and were treated for hypothermia, according to the coast guard.
B.C. Emergency Health Services said the condition of the patients was not available Thursday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Serial sexual offender linked to unsolved 1970s homicides of four Calgary girls, women
An investigation into unsolved historical homicides from the 1970s has linked the deaths of two girls and two young women in and around Calgary to a now-deceased serial offender.
Woman with liver failure rejected for a transplant after medical review highlights alcohol use
For nearly three months, Amanda Huska has been in an Ontario hospital, part of it on life support, because of severe liver failure. Her history of alcohol use is getting in the way of her only potential treatment: a liver transplant.
BREAKING Craig Berube named as next head coach of Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have named Craig Berube as their new head coach.
A look back at Alberta's record-breaking wildfire season
By the end of the 2023 wildfire season in Alberta, 1,088 wildfires had burned more than 2.2 million hectares of land, and this year, the wildfire season is already in full swing.
Person charged in random assault on actor Steve Buscemi in New York
A person wanted in connection with the random assault on actor Steve Buscemi on a New York City street earlier this month was taken into custody Friday, police said.
B.C. man 'attacked suddenly' by adult grizzly near Alberta boundary: RCMP
A B.C. man is recovering from multiple injuries after he was "attacked suddenly" by an adult grizzly bear near Elkford Thursday afternoon.
Australia's richest woman seeks removal of her portrait from exhibition
Art is subjective. And while many artists long to share their work with the world, there's no guarantee that the audience will understand it, or even like it.
Video appears to show Sean 'Diddy' Combs beating singer Cassie in hotel hallway in 2016
Security video aired by CNN appears to show Sean 'Diddy' Combs physically assaulting singer Cassie in a Los Angeles hotel hallway in 2016.
Anglers reel in 3.5-metre-long tiger shark off coast of Florida: 'She found my bait'
A group of fishers said it took roughly 20 minutes to reel in this 3.5-metre-long tiger shark off the coast of Florida.