TABUSINTAC, NB — RCMP have confirmed the bodies of the two fishermen have been found.
“Both bodies will be transported back to the Tabusintac wharf,” RCMP Const. Scott Messier said. “We’d like to thank all the volunteers, the military personnel, the Coast Guard and all the local fishermen who provided information and helped aid the search. We thank you.”
The bodies of the 35-year-old man from Tabusintac and a 32-year-old man from Brantville were located at about 4 pm Sunday afternoon.
Const. Messier says a military crew from CFB Gagetown, along with Miramichi Ground Search and Rescue and the Coast Guard were combing the shorelines and the water since early Sunday morning.
The lobster vessel – carrying the three fishermen – capsized off the shore of Tabusintac, in the Northeastern part of the province.
One body was located Saturday afternoon– a 23-year-old man.
A relative of the man said, “We all loved him. Today is today, tomorrow’s another day.”
The Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Halifax said a mayday call came in around 5:30 am Saturday morning. The boat had hit a sandbar and started taking on water. Bad weather and rough water were major factors in the boat capsizing.
Many fishermen were not fishing out of respect, and some conducted their own search.
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The search began quickly after the distress call came in.
“We did have a report that the three were clinging onto the boat. I’m not 100 per cent sure if they were seen from the shore … the boat was roughly three miles from shore,” said Mike Bonin of the JRCC.
A Cormorant search and rescue helicopter and two Coast Guard vessels, along with local fishing boats were launched to search for the crew.
The JRCC reduced the search Saturday afternoon. RCMP are treating the situation as a missing persons case but were realistic.
“The waters of the Atlantic are very, very cold. I think the water out there now is about two or three degrees. By this point, hypothermia would have set in and affected them,” said Messier.
The Transportation Safety Board is sending a team to investigate the tragedy.
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