2 of four crew members died after fishing boat capsizes near Halifax

Two of the fishers who were pulled from the water after a 60-foot fishing boat capsized off the coast of Halifax have died.

Their deaths were confirmed by Jose Teixeira, owner of the boat that went under on Thursday night. The captain and deckhand of the vessel died and the two other crew members were released from hospital, Teixeira confirmed to The Canadian Press.

The Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) in Halifax responded to an emergency beacon alert around 10 p.m. and determined it was activated approximately 10 nautical miles (18.52 km) southeast of Sambro, N.S.

JRCC Public Affairs Officer Lt. Commander Len Hickey reported that three crew members were found on Thursday and the last the next morning. Two were conscious, while the third was unconscious and the fourth person was said to be unresponsive. All were taken to the hospital.

“The fourth and final crew member of the fishing vessel has been recovered from the life raft by Search and Rescue Technicians,” Hickey said just before noon on Friday. “The individual is currently being transported via Cormorant helicopter to medical facilities in the HRM.”

The Coast Guard dispatched two ships, the CCGS Hare Bay and CCGS Sir William Alexander, along with several air assets, including a Cormorant helicopter and a Hercules aircraft, to aid in the rescue.

“Regarding the individual’s status, only qualified medical personnel can confirm their condition, however, I can tell you that the individual was unfortunately unresponsive when taken onboard the Cormorant,” he said.

Hickey also noted that Thursday night, high seas and low visibility made the search challenging. However, the conditions have improved on Friday, making the search more favourable.

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada says it will dispatch a team to investigate the capsizing of the Fortune Pride fishing vessel.

With files from The Canadian Press’ Keith Doucette.