Two fishermen dead in boating incident off Haida Gwaii

British Columbia RCMP say two men are dead after a boating incident on the west coast of Haida Gwaii.

The Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Victoria says it received a request for help to search for a fishing boat that failed to return to the village of Skidegate.

It says it sent the Canadian Coast Guard to join a large community search that was already underway.

The centre says that around 1 p.m. Sunday, the bodies of the missing fishermen were found by the search team and were recovered by the coast guard.

1:59 ER closures expected at Northern Haida Gwaii Hospital

RCMP Cpl. Madonna Saunderson says in an email that the BC Coroners Service has since taken over the investigation.

Skidegate Health Centre said in a Facebook post Monday that it was hosting a sacred fire on the beach to honour the men.

“We would like to reach out and express condolences to the families and community,” the health centre said in the post. “During these difficult times, we are at a loss for words and walk with heavy hearts.”