Transportation Safety Board investigating fire aboard boat abandoned by ‘Lucky 7’

HALIFAX — The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has sent investigators to Newfoundland to determine what caused a fire aboard a fishing boat that forced the crew to abandon the vessel for a life-raft, leaving them at the mercy of the waves for two days.

The independent agency issued a statement saying its investigators will gather information about what happened aboard the Elite Navigator on July 17 when the fire erupted and the crew of seven was unable to send a distress signal.

The boat was reported missing July 18, having transmitted its final signal the night before from far off the coast of northeastern Newfoundland.

In New-Wes-Valley, N.L., an amalgamation of three small fishing communities, friends and neighbours of the seven men braced for the worst.

After spending about 50 hours adrift in the life-raft about 220 kilometres from shore, the fishermen heard a helicopter overhead and one of them fired a hand-held flare that was spotted by searchers on Friday night.

On Saturday, the men — now known as the “Lucky 7” — returned home to the New-Wes-Valley area, where they were met by a boisterous crowd of about 1,000 people, and a community parade was held the next day.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 22, 2024.