Residents transport in a boat from the City of Belize, to San Pedro's Island, in Belize, on Oct. 21, 2013. (Xinhua file photo/David de la Paz)
VANCOUVER, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- At least four passengers of a whale-watching boat died Sunday evening after the tour vessel, which carried 27 people on board, capsized off the coast of Vancouver Island in the Canadian province of British Columbia (CBC).
The tragedy also sent several other passengers to the hospital and at least five others into local homes for immediate shelter and warmth.
Authorities warned that the number of deaths could rise as the situation unfolded throughout the night.
The Canadian Coast Guard's Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Victoria said there were 27 people on board when the boat sank off the coast of Vargas Island, located west of the town of Tofino -- a town of fewer than 2,000 residents situated roughly 320 km north of the provincial capital of Victoria.
A British Columbia Emergency Health Services spokeswoman told Xinhua by phone that at least four people had died in the sinking, which occurred at 4:10 pm local time (2310 GMT).
She said four others were initially taken to a local hospital for treatment and five others were taken in by local residents to be sheltered and warmed, adding that it was unclear as of 6 pm (0100 GMT) whether all the passengers had been accounted for.
According to the spokeswoman, a critical care transport crew was flying into Tofino to take a number of patients to other hospitals for treatment. Tofino General Hospital has 10 acute care beds and five emergency stretchers, according to the CBC.
Sightseeing boat sails off the coast of the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh on the first day of the Muslim Eid al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice) holiday on September 24, 2015. (AFP FILE PHOTO/MOHAMED EL-SHAHED)
The cause of the sinking remained unknown as of 6:30 pm (0130 GMT) as local fishermen and other boat owners joined emergency rescue teams in the search for survivors, according to local media reports.
According to multiple online and television reports, a company named Jamie's Whale Watching had confirmed that the ill-fated boat belonged to their fleet of tour boats.
It is believed that the capsized boat is the MV "Leviathan II," a three-deck cruiser that is the largest in the company's fleet.
According to the company's website, they have whale-watching stations in the town of Tofino and in the nearby town of Ucluelet, both of which are world-renowned for their local populations of Gray Whales, Humpbacks and Orcas.
"We're obviously deeply concerned about what's going on and the news is just terrible," Tofino Mayor Josie Osborne told Xinhua by phone.
"Our primary concern right now is passengers, the crew, and all the people that are involved in the search and rescue effort and supporting them," she said.
"People have been responding with food and clothing and blankets, and offering all kinds of things," the mayor said, adding that the weather was relatively calm throughout the day.
"It was an overcast day," Osborne said. "We had a bit of rain to start out the morning and it cleared in the afternoon. A beautiful day to be on the water, but... there's definitely a big swell out there."
