3 dead in ‘clam fishing incident’ off coast of Savary Island, B.C.

Savary Island, B.C., is seen in this file photo. (Shutterstock)

Three men are dead after what police described as a “clam fishing incident” off the coast of a remote B.C. Island Thursday.

Powell River RCMP said in a statement Friday that it had been notified by the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Victoria that a boat had capsized “approximately 500 to 1,000 metres off the shore of Savary Island.”

The off-grid island is located in the Strait of Georgia, northwest of Powell River.

The call came in around 11 p.m. Thursday, police said.

“It was reported that two men had made it to shore, while three others remained missing,” the statement reads.

According to Mounties, the JRCC had been alerted around 10 p.m. after the private vessel failed to return to Lund Harbour on the mainland.

“In response, search and rescue resources were immediately deployed, including a Powell River Coast Guard lifeboat, an inshore fast rescue craft from Cortes Bay and an Air Force Kingfisher aircraft from 442 Transport and Rescue Squadron based in Comox,” the RCMP statement reads.

Police conducted shoreline searches in co-ordination with Savary Island Volunteer Fire Department.

“Tragically, the three missing men were located deceased,” police said.

The two survivors were taken to Powell River, where paramedics assessed them and took them to hospital.

“The Powell River RCMP is assisting the BC Coroners Service with the ongoing investigation into the incident,” the statement concludes.