RICHMOND, B.C. – A massive multi-agency search and rescue operation is underway off the coast of Richmond this evening after a charter vessel sank in the waters near Roberts Bank, leaving six people unaccounted for.
The Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) Victoria was alerted to the emergency shortly before noon on Sunday, June 28, 2026, after a civilian vessel reported seeing a boat in distress. Officials confirm that ten people were aboard the charter boat when it began taking on water at approximately 11:45 a.m.
Within hours of the initial report, four survivors were located and transported to local hospitals for medical treatment. Their current conditions have not yet been released. However, as of Sunday evening, search teams have been unable to locate the remaining six passengers.
The search effort has rapidly escalated into a full-scale mobilization of federal, provincial, and local resources. The JRCC Victoria is coordinating the operation, which includes assets from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), the Royal Canadian Air Force, the Canadian Coast Guard, Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue, and BC Ferries.
In a show of significant air and sea power, the RCMP has deployed two vessels from West Coast Marine Services—the P.V. Lindsay and the P.V. Higgitt—to scour the waters. These are supported by aerial reconnaissance from two RCMP helicopters: a Black Hawk and an H145 Airbus from RCMP Air Services. Multiple additional aircraft and coast guard vessels are also participating in the grid search.
The search area is focused on the waters surrounding Roberts Bank, a critical shipping lane and ecologically sensitive area just off the coast of Richmond. The cause of the sinking remains unknown at this time. Investigators have not yet determined whether the vessel struck an object, suffered mechanical failure, or encountered severe sea conditions before it went down.
“We are in the active phase of a search and rescue mission and our primary focus is on finding those six individuals,” a spokesperson for the JRCC said in a brief statement. “We have every available resource in the water and in the air working to cover the search area.”
The identities of the missing individuals and the survivors have not been released pending notification of next of kin. Officials are asking the public and other mariners to keep the area clear to allow rescue vessels and aircraft to operate safely.
The circumstances surrounding the incident are now under investigation by the relevant authorities.
