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 Twenty-one people had been rescued when the search was called off
late at night, Melissa Kai, a spokeswoman for the Joint Rescue
Coordination Centre (JRCC), said.
A military rescue helicopter and plane had been sent to the waters
off the coast of Tofino after the vessel sent a distress signal
around 5 p.m. local time, according to the JRCC. Several other coast
guard vessels were involved in the search off the rugged west coast
of Vancouver Island.
The case had now been turned over to Canadian police as a missing
persons case, Kai said.
Eighteen people were taken to Tofino General Hospital, of which
three were transferred to other island health facilities, Island
Health spokeswoman Val Wilson told Reuters. All were in a stable
condition. Some at the Tofino hospital had already been discharged,
she said.
 Earlier in the evening, military planes and coast guard vessels lit
up the area where the vessel remained partially submerged, eight
nautical miles northwest of Tofino.
The manager of the Shelter Restaurant in Tofino said fishermen and
fishing charter companies had joined the rescue effort, with about
15-20 boats leaving the tourist town.
"Practically anyone who can go will go," said Matthew, who did not
give his last name. "People here get together to help when things
like this happen."
Tofino, a community of roughly 2,000 people on the west coast of
Vancouver Island, is a popular tourist destination for surfers,
hikers and whale watchers from around the world.
"All our attention now is on our passengers and crew so we'll be
providing information as soon as the time is appropriate," said a
staff member with Jamie's Whaling Station and Adventure Centres,
which operated the vessel, the Leviathan II.
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In 1998, a boat operated by the same company sank near Tofino,
killing the ship's captain and a German tourist.
John Forde, who works at another eco-adventure company, said
passengers on a vessel like the Leviathan II, a three-deck 65-foot
cruiser that can carry up to 46 people, would not have to wear life
jackets. The boat, like ferries, would only be required to have life
jackets on board.
"The sea was three to four metres, a fairly big sea, but not much
wind or too unusual for the conditions we deal with on a regular
basis out here," Forde, who took part in the rescue for several
hours, told Global television.
(Additional reporting by Nicole Mordant and Julie Gordon in
Vancouver; Writing by Amran Abocar and Nicole Mordant; Editing by
Christian Plumb and Nick Macfie)
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