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32 people safe after engine incident on board Vancouver whale watching boat

Click to play video: 'Whale watchers evacuated after fire on boat'
Whale watchers evacuated after fire on boat
Some tense moments today on board a whale watching boat, when smoke began pouring from the back of the vessel. Tanya Beja reports on the maritime emergency near Bowen Island – Oct 23, 2018

Thirty-two people are safely back on shore after an incident on board a whale-watching vessel in the Strait of Georgia Tuesday afternoon.

The company involved — Wild Whales Vancouver, located on Granville Island — confirms the engine stopped working onboard one of the vessels but it is unclear at this time exactly what happened.

The engine did not catch fire but there were some fumes spotted by the passengers.

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The Coast Guard was called and BC Ferries also responded to help but the 30 passengers and two crew members are now safe.

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No one was injured.

The vessel was just off Bowen Island when the incident occurred.

Wild Whales Vancouver confirms the vessel involved was only one-and-a-half years old and passed a surprise inspection last week.

Passengers who were on board the boat at the time said the whole incident was really calm and the company handled it “really well.”

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“Everybody was fine and there were a lot of boats around so we felt confident,” a tourist told Global News.

Another passenger said it seemed like staff had a plan in place for any emergencies and everything was handled smoothly and professionally.

More to come.

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