Seaplane collides with boat, crashes into Vancouver's Coal Harbour

Boats and float homes are seen moored at a marina on Coal Harbour as people walk along the seawall, in Vancouver, on Sunday, October 25, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Republished June 08, 2024 - 4:03 PM

Original Publication Date June 08, 2024 - 3:21 PM

VANCOUVER - A seaplane collided with a pleasure boat on Vancouver's downtown Coal Harbour waterfront Saturday, injuring a number of passengers on both craft.

The crash happened just before 1 p.m. in the waters near Canada Place, Vancouver Police spokeswoman Const. Tania Visintin said in a statement.

The Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Victoria received a call about the plane-boat collision, resulting in the Kitsilano Coast Guard station sending two vessels to the scene, Maritime Forces Pacific said.

It added all occupants of both the plane and the boat were brought to shore but did not elaborate on their conditions. Police said an unspecified number of people have been taken to hospital.

Images and videos on social media show what appears to be a small plane partially submerged in the water with a SeaBus and several other vessels nearby.

Coal Harbour is the site for Vancouver's downtown seaplane terminal served by carriers such as Harbour Air and Seair Seaplanes. Harbour Air confirmed the seaplane was one of its planes that collided with a boat upon take-off.

Harbour Air spokeswoman Jessica Dunn said the pilot and all five passengers on the plane operating a scenic tour were safe and all passengers on the boat were "accounted for."

"Safety remains our utmost priority," Dunn said in the statement. "At this time, we are working closely with the authorities to gather more information about this incident and supporting the affected parties."

Vancouver Fire Rescue Services Fire Chief Karen Fry confirmed in a post on X that police and rescuers were at the scene of a "marine incident" in Coal Harbour.

TransLink spokeswoman Tina Lovgreen said in another social media post that the captain of the SeaBus saw the float plane in the water and "quickly diverted to provide assistance, ready to deploy a life raft."

Lovgreen added the SeaBus was on scene until the vessel was released by the Canadian Coast Guard, and returned to the terminal.

The Transportation Safety Board is now leading the investigation into what happened.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 8, 2024.