Three men are dead after a late-night clam fishing trip ended in tragedy off the coast of BC near Savary Island.Powell River RCMP said officers were notified shortly after 11 p.m. Thursday by the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre that a small personal vessel had capsized between 500 and 1,000 metres offshore near the island.Two men managed to make it safely to shore, while three others were reported missing in the water.Earlier in the evening, rescue officials had been alerted after the boat failed to return to Lund Harbour as expected around 10 p.m.A large-scale search operation was quickly launched involving the Canadian Coast Guard, military aircraft and local emergency crews.Search resources included a Coast Guard lifeboat from Powell River, a fast rescue craft from Cortez Bay and a Royal Canadian Air Force Kingfisher aircraft from 442 Transport and Rescue Squadron based in Comox.Powell River RCMP, working alongside Savary Island Fire crews, conducted shoreline searches before locating the three missing men deceased.The two survivors were transported back to Powell River, where they were assessed by emergency responders and taken to hospital for treatment.Police have not released the identities of the victims.RCMP said the investigation remains ongoing and officers are assisting the BC Coroners Service in determining the circumstances surrounding the fatal incident.
