Victim's body identified after Tofino whale-watching tragedy

Friday, November 20, 2015, 11:21 AM - Authorities have recovered a body from the waters near the site of last month's sinking of a whale-watching boat in British Columbia.

There were 27 people aboard the MV Leviathan II when it sank near Tofino on October 25. Five visitors from the U.K., including one resident of B.C. and another of Ontario, died in the incident. Meanwhile, Australian national Raveshan Pillay was missing.

The B.C. Coroner's Office sent a coroner to the scene to identify the body, which was later confirmed Thursday evening to be Pillay.

Twenty-one people were rescued by local fisherman, who responded to flare and radio calls. The youngest of the victims was 18, the oldest was 76, according to the Coroner's Office.

Divers searched for Pilay for days. However, due to poor weather conditions and three-to-four metre swells, the search was called off at times.

The Transportation Safety Board (TSB) says the boat sank after being hit by a wave while all the passengers were clustered on one side. The full report into the investigation is ongoing.

"This would have raised the centre of gravity, affecting the vessel's stability," Marc-Andre Poisson, TSB's director of marine investigations told reporters on Oct. 27. "None of this preliminary information should be used in isolation to draw any conclusions at this point." 

-- With files from Leeanna McLean

SOURCE: CBC News | Globe and Mail