Steveston rescue: 14 people pulled from sinking boat, Artist Life
Vessel Artist Life struck a barrier during windstorm
Search and rescue crews rescued 14 people from a sinking vessel near Steveston, B.C., south of Vancouver during a windstorm on Thursday night.
According to a statement issued by the Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue, around 7:30 p.m. PT the vessel Artist Life issued a mayday call over the radio, saying the boat was taking on water through a large hole after striking a barrier during a windstorm.
An RCMSR volunteer crew in an inflatable boat arrived at the scene in minutes and rescued nine people from the boat.
Another five people had put themselves in a dingy and were picked up by a Canadian Coast Guard hovercraft minutes later.
The damaged vessel remains at the scene and the Canadian Coast Guard is monitoring it to minimize environmental pollution.
The vessel Artist Life, also known as the Steveston Lifeboat, is operated by local artist John Horton, according to media reports.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has sent an investigator to determine the cause of the incident.