Police find bodies of 2 missing New Brunswick fishermen

The bodies of two missing lobster fishermen have been found off the coast of New Brunswick, a day after their boat capsized with three crew members on board.

RCMP Const. Scott Messier says the body of a 35-year-old man from Tabusintac and a 32-year-old man from Brantville were located around 4 p.m. on Sunday.

Crews began searching for the doomed seamen after their boat issued a distress call at around 5:30 a.m. local time on Saturday.

The body of a 23-year-old fisherman was found later that day on a beach near where the fishing boat hit a sandbar in rough seas and began taking on water.

Police have not released their names yet. They said the bodies will be taken to the morgue.

The Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Halifax called off their search just before 4 p.m. AT on Saturday, saying two Coast Guard vessels and a Cormorant helicopter had done all they could to find the remaining fishermen, but police crews resumed their search on Sunday morning.

An RCMP underwater recovery team searched the boat and located the bodies. Crews from the military base CFB Gagetown also aided in the ground search.

Messier said the operation has shut down now that all three bodies have been recovered.

He said the only thing left in the water is the boat and he doesn't know yet what will happen to it.

There was a sombre mood at the wharf as locals combed the coast, the CBC's Tori Weldon reported. Fishermen in Tabusintac said they wouldn't fish on Sunday out of respect.

The Transportation Safety Board said it will investigate the incident.