Toll from B.C. fishing charter sinking rises as woman dies in hospital

Flowers are seen placed alongside the Imperial Landing Dock in Richmond, B.C., in this handout photo, on Sunday, June 5, 2026, to pay tribute to six people who are presumed drowned following the tragic capsizing, on Sunday, June 28, 2026, of a commercial charter fishing boat in the Strait of Georgia. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout — Caryn Zhang (Mandatory Credit)

RICHMOND — One of four people rescued after a fishing charter boat sinking off Metro Vancouver has died in hospital, bringing the suspected death toll to seven.

Mounties in Richmond, B.C., say the victims include residents of British Columbia, Toronto and Washington state.

RCMP say the woman who died in hospital was a 28-year-old Chinese citizen who was living in Seattle, Wash., while six people remain missing and feared drowned after the June 28 sinking near Roberts Bank.

Police say searchers using an underwater drone located the sunken vessel on Monday 153 metres below the surface, but no bodies have been found.

Those missing were aged 22 to 33, and include a 31-year-old Chinese man from Seattle.

Police identified the vessel as the Big Coast, operated by Top Vancouver Fishing Charter, and investigators continue to examine whether the operation of the vessel played a role in the sinking.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 8, 2026.

The Canadian Press