UPDATE 5-Canadian whale-watching boat sinks, killing five with one missing

(Updates death toll, numbers rescued, missing)
By Paul Brian
TOFINO, British Columbia, Oct 25 (Reuters) - A Canadian
whale-watching tour boat with 27 passengers on board sank off
the coast of British Columbia on Sunday, killing five people
with one missing, rescue officials said.
Twenty-one people had been rescued when the search was
called off late at night, Melissa Kai, a spokeswoman for the
Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC), said.
A military rescue helicopter and plane had been sent to the
waters off the coast of Tofino after the vessel sent a distress
signal around 5 p.m. local time, according to the JRCC. Several
other coast guard vessels were involved in the search off the
rugged west coast of Vancouver Island.
The case had now been turned over to Canadian police as a
missing persons case, Kai said.
Eighteen people were taken to Tofino General Hospital, of
which three were transferred to other island health facilities,
Island Health spokeswoman Val Wilson told Reuters. All were in a
stable condition. Some at the Tofino hospital had already been
discharged, she said.
Earlier in the evening, military planes and coast guard
vessels lit up the area where the vessel remained partially
submerged, eight nautical miles northwest of Tofino.
The manager of the Shelter Restaurant in Tofino said
fishermen and fishing charter companies had joined the rescue
effort, with about 15-20 boats leaving the tourist town.
"Practically anyone who can go will go," said Matthew, who
did not give his last name. "People here get together to help
when things like this happen."
Tofino, a community of roughly 2,000 people on the west
coast of Vancouver Island, is a popular tourist destination for
surfers, hikers and whale watchers from around the world.
"All our attention now is on our passengers and crew so
we'll be providing information as soon as the time is
appropriate," said a staff member with Jamie's Whaling Station
and Adventure Centres, which operated the vessel, the Leviathan
II.
In 1998, a boat operated by the same company sank near
Tofino, killing the ship's captain and a German tourist.
John Forde, who works at another eco-adventure company,
said passengers on a vessel like the Leviathan II, a three-deck
65-foot cruiser that can carry up to 46 people, would not have
to wear life jackets. The boat, like ferries, would only be
required to have life jackets on board.
"The sea was three to four metres, a fairly big sea, but not
much wind or too unusual for the conditions we deal with on a
regular basis out here," Forde, who took part in the rescue for
several hours, told Global television.