A small seaplane went down in Vancouver’s Coal Harbour near Stanley Park on Saturday, officials confirmed.
A CBC reporter on the scene, near Canada Place, confirmed that rescue boats were circling a small plane in the water near Brockton Point in Stanley Park.
Vancouver Fire Chief Karen Fry tweeted that Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services (VFRS), as well as Vancouver police, were on the scene of a “marine incident” around 1 p.m. PT on Saturday.
A statement from the Joint Rescue Co-Ordination Centre (JRCC) in Victoria said officials received a call around 12:55 p.m. PT involving a floatplane and a boat in Coal Harbour.
Our <a href=”https://twitter.com/VanFireRescue?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@VanFireRescue</a> and <a href=”https://twitter.com/VancouverPD?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@VancouverPD</a> are on scene at a marine incident in Coal Harbour.<a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/breaking?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#breaking</a>
—@Karen_Fry
“Kitsilano Coast Guard station sent two vessels to the scene — the Laredo Sound and a fast rescue craft,” the JRCC said. “Once on scene, they worked with multiple agencies to respond.”
The JRCC did not say exactly how many people were on the plane.
One of the local seaplane operators in Vancouver, Seair, confirmed to CBC News that the plane was not one of theirs, and said the airspace around Vancouver Harbour Flight Centre was closed around 2 p.m. PT.
CBC News reached out to the VPD and the Transportation Safety Board, but no one from either organization was immediately available to comment.