Leviathan survivors tried to save man missing off Tofino
TOFINO — As the families of some victims of Sunday’s whale-watching boat accident arrived in Tofino looking for answers, the RCMP said survivors recounted how they tried to save a 27-year-old Australian man still listed as missing.
Const. Jim Preston, a dive-team supervisor, told reporters Wednesday that one of the survivors had been holding on to the man after MV Leviathan II capsized, but had to let him go.
“All I can say is that the information we have is that they were holding on to him, he was underwater a few feet, they couldn’t hold on to him any longer and he just dropped,” Preston said.
Although the RCMP and B.C. Coroners Service have not released the man’s name, media have identified him from Facebook posts as Ravisham Pillay, who was on the whale-watching tour with his British girlfriend, Danielle Hooker, and her father, Nigel Hooker.
Danielle survived, but her father was one of five whose bodies were pulled from the ocean on Sunday.
As police zeroed in on where they believe Pillay’s body may be, the mayor of Tofino confirmed that in the hours after the accident, some of the 21 survivors were taken to at least one private home while the worst injured were treated at Tofino’s tiny general hospital.
“The [hospital] staff was incredibly resourceful despite space limitations, but extra space to assist survivors was very helpful,” said Mayor Josie Osborne.
Osborne confirmed reports that part-time paramedics and medical staff had taken some lesserinjured victims to homes where they were treated for cuts and bruises, given warm liquids and had their clothes washed of diesel spilled from Leviathan II.
Tofino Coun. Cathy Thicke, whose husband is an emergency physician, said the hospital is in poor condition and she disagreed with Premier Christy Clark’s statement that it had not been overwhelmed after the accident. “The hospital is woefully inadequate on a daily basis for emergencies, and as a regional hub for medical emergencies,” Thicke said in an emailed statement.
Preston said his crews were hoping to search for Pillay’s body between two undersea mounts near Plover Reefs. Divers made two attempts Wednesday to search the site, but the seas were too rough.
Six members of Pillay’s family arrived at Tofino airport midday and were greeted by Danielle Hooker, who hugged them tight. Also on the flight were the elder son and mother of Julie Thomas, who remains in Tofino General Hospital. She lost her husband David, 50, and son Stephen, 18, in the accident. The families were met at the airport by Rupert Potter, Britain’s consul-general to Vancouver.
If conditions allow for it, the search for Pillay will resume today.