A coast guard boat searching for multiple people near Tofino at Chesterman Beach on June 15, 2018. Photo courtesy Twitter/@MerlinYYC.
RCMP say the boat that sank off the coast of Tofino last week has been found but three fishermen that were on the vessel are still unaccounted for.
On Tuesday, Cpl. Tammy Douglas, spokeswoman for Island District RCMP, said the boat was located near Duffin Passage. The RCMP Underwater Recovery Team recovered the vessel and police will be holding it for investigation.
Douglas said the three missing men that were on the boat have not been found. The men have been missing since early Friday morning when their small boat went down near Tofino without a mayday call.
Two other men that were on the six-metre tin boat survived. One person was rescued from the water while another swam ashore within the first two hours.
A search command base set up on the docks of Tofino on June 15, 2018.
The official search for the three missing men was scaled back over the weekend and RCMP had opened a missing persons case. However, family and friends are still searching the shoreline and waters for the men.
RCMP said strong tidal currents in the area have made search efforts difficult.
The names of the missing men have not officially been released.
Alexa Huffman
