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Having just enough time to abandon their quickly sinking tugboat in the Georgia Straight, two people swam to the safety of a nearby Island.
According to Jeff Olsson, the Maritime Search and Rescue Coordinator for the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Victoria, the vessel sank a little after 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon near Halfmoon Bay on the Sunshine Coast.
Photo credit: Google Maps.
Concerned citizens on the coast line noticed the sinking tug and notified the coast guard.
Olsson said the tug was sinking so quickly that the two people on board didn’t have enough time to call for help.
The two people abandoned the boat and swam to Merry Island where a lighthouse keeper kept them warm while they awaited medical attention.
A coast guard vessel and a hovercraft was dispatched.
Olsson said that both individuals suffered mild hypothermia, but were essentially uninjured.
Another tugboat in the region retrieved the sinking tug’s remaining barge. There was no other debris left at the scene.
The cause of the incident is unknown.
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