Two dead, one rescued after tug capsizes in bad weather off British Columbia

Canadian authorities have confirmed that two people were killed as a result of a vessel capsizing incident in the waters off British Columbia on Thursday, February 11.

The incident occurred at around 00:40 local time on Thursday when an unnamed tug owned by Wainwright Marine Services of Prince Rupert, BC, keeled over while towing a barge laden with cargo and supplies.

The tug was approximately 35 nautical miles south of Kitimat when bad weather and strong winds caused it to capsize, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) told local media.

RCMP personnel embarked on the patrol boat Inkster arrived at the scene and pulled one of the deceased tug crewmen out of the water while the Canadian Coast Guard later managed to locate and recover the second deceased individual.

The pilot of a privately-owned helicopter that was assisting in the search and rescue (SAR) effort found the third crewmember on the shore not far from where the tug capsized. The RCMP said the survivor was later brought to hospital, though the extent of his injuries remains unknown.

The country’s Transportation Safety Board (TSB) is set to launch an investigation into the incident.