Victims of sinking boat incident given CPR -

CPR was given to the victims of a sinking boat incident. Two people were declared dead and three others were treated and released from hospital after a fishing boat went down off the west coast of Vancouver Island near the remote tourist community of Tofino.

Sinking boat incident

All five people on board the vessel were taken to shore but health officials later confirmed that two of them had died according to Coast Guard spokesman Dan Bate.

Vancouver first aid — Learning the essential first aid skills including cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is important.

The 8.5 meter-long catamaran was fishing for halibut near Bartlett Island, north of Tofino, B.C. Someone on the boat made a distress call around 1:20PM stated Sub-Lt. Melissa Kia with the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Victoria. They were able to talk with the vessel to confirm that the five passengers were abandoning into the water. While the boat was attempting to get in a better position to speak via cellphone, it lost communications with the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre.

The Coast guard rescue boats, a Royal Canadian Air Forces helicopter and a plane from CFB Comox were all dispatched to search for the passengers and a broadcast was put out asking marine vessels in the area to search. Two commercial float planes also responded to the call for help and one of them spotted the people in the water and directed rescuers to the site.

All five people were recovered from the water by two vessels of opportunity that were very close to the position.

Bates stated that the boats linked up with the coast guard and an off-duty paramedic delivered CPR to one passenger while a Coast Guard Rescue Specialist attempted to resuscitate another. All five people were taken to emergency health services in Tofino.

Being prepared

Learning the essential first aid skills including cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is important. This is a life-saving technique that can save lives by improving the chances of survival during emergencies.

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