Search for 3 missing fishermen off Tofino’s coast enters 4th day

Four days into the search for three missing fishermen off the coast of Tofino, those searching are tired but determined, Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation search coordinator Elmer Frank said.

“Our searchers have been going from 6 o’ clock in the morning to sometimes 11 o’ clock at night so I think they’re getting a little bit burnt out, but I think that you know their hearts are big and they have the right interests of making sure we continue to search,” he said.

Monday’s efforts are being run primarily by members of the First Nation who are volunteering with an RCMP dive team on hand.

The Joint Rescue Co-Ordination Centre scaled back its operations over the weekend.

READ MORE: Emergency crews search for multiple people in waters off Tofino

The First Nations fishermen went missing after their boat sank early Friday. Two others managed to make it back to shore.

Tofino Mayor Josie Osborne said the community is seeking some sort of resolution and some closure.

“We’re all just waiting and hoping and wanting news of something so that everything that needs to happen can move into place and people can move along in dealing with what’s happening,” she said.

“It’s difficult to be in such uncertainty.”

About 10 boats were on the water Sunday along with a dive team as volunteers combed the coastline for the trio.

“I see a lot of strength and resilience here,” said Osborne.

The tight-knit community is banding together, she said, with volunteers working dawn to dusk and businesses donating food and resources.

“I think that we are still hopeful that we are going to find something and that we’ll bring some answers to the families that are all involved,” Frank said.

“There’s a lot of anxiety, there’s a lot of frustration and a lot of unanswered questions.”

Frank said on Monday the coordination of the search, which covers an approximately 32 kilometres radius, is running smoothly with smaller tides compared to the weekend.