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An RCMP underwater rescue team is currently searching for a capsized vessel that sank off the coast of Richmond, British Columbia, on Sunday.
On Tuesday, police said they believed the boat sank in between 150 and 180 meters of water.
By comparison, the Living Shangri-La, Vancouver’s tallest building, is just under 201 meters tall.
“They’re going to have to try to use some technology like underwater drones and things like that in the recovery,” Richmond RCMP Cpl. Frank Bryson told CBC News.
“I don’t think divers will be able to go deep, so they’ll have to use some of these tools.”
Four men and two women are believed to have drowned after a commercial charter boat sank in the Strait of Georgia, while four people were rescued.
Also on Tuesday, the Transportation Safety Board announced it had sent a team to investigate the incident.
Two men and a woman remain in hospital, while one man has been released.
Police said Monday that two of the survivors had been released, but said Tuesday that medical officials had decided to keep one of them in hospital as a precaution.
The RCMP recovery mission began after B.C.’s main search and rescue center suspended its search for survivors Sunday evening around 9:45 p.m. PT.
Major Gregory Clarke, head of Victoria’s Joint Rescue Coordination Center (JRCC), said his team’s role was to search for survivors and added the JRCC was not functioning as a recovery service.
“Our primary goal is to search until … all possibilities of finding survivors and living people have been exhausted,” Clarke told CBC. Early edition on Tuesday.
By dark Sunday, Clark said, JRCC crews had located and rescued any survivors on the surface of the water or shoreline.
The investigation has been handed over to the RCMP, which has experience in mining, Clark said.
In response to CBC News’ request for an update on the mission, Richmond RCMP emailed a statement Tuesday morning. Their priority, they say, is to “reach and support the families of missing persons and survivors.”
“This is a complex investigation involving multiple agencies, and we will share updates as more information becomes available.”
On Monday, Prime Minister Mark Carney acknowledged the incident on social media.
“My prayers are with everyone affected by the tragedy in the Strait of Georgia, British Columbia – those missing, those recovering, and loved ones waiting for answers,” he wrote.