A Canadian Coast Guard craft will be on the water near Swanson Bay on the North Coast at first light this morning to inspect the spot where a barge sank on Sunday.
The Joint Rescue Centre says the ship called Gordon Reid will check for possible pollution spills from the barge.
The barge was reportedly hauling sand and gravel and the Coast Guard says it was being towed by a tugboat at the time of the incident. After encountering bad weather however, the barge flipped north of Bella Bella and the neighbouring community of Klemtu.
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The barge was en route from Seattle to Juneau, Alaska.
So far there are no reports of any fuel spills or pollutants in the water.
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While the barge sank, the tugboat managed to stay afloat with four people on board. No one was injured in the incident. The tug has since been cleared by Transport Canada to continue its journey to Juneau.
This incident comes a few weeks after a tug boat and a fuel barge ran aground just north of Athlone Island near Bella Bella. Bad weather in the region has delayed the clean-up process for that vessel.
More details to come.
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