Tofino holds vigil to mark week since whale-watching tragedy

Tofino, B.C., held a vigil Sunday afternoon, one week after a tragic whale-watching excursion claimed the lives of five people, while another man remains missing.

On Oct.25, the main waterfront dock in Tofino was a scene of chaos as rescue crews attempted to save27 people from frigid Pacific Ocean waters.

The whale-watching vessel they were on, the MV Leviathan II operatedby Jamie's Whaling Station,sank.

Five British citizens died after the boat went down, and 21 people were plucked from the water by locals who responded to a flare and radio calls.

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• Extent of MV Leviathan II modifications
• Coping in Tofino after tragedy

On Sunday,those who helped respond tothe tragedy and those who are part of Tofino's close community, gathered again on the dock to light candles inhonour ofthose who died and the man who remains missing.

"I'm sure I'll spend a lot of time thinking about ... the families and the survivors and the people who didn't make it back," said Tofino Mayor Josie Osborne.

"And about my gratitude for the response from Ahousaht, Tla-o-qui-aht, Tofino, other neighbouring communities and all the messages of support that we've received over this week. It's been a pretty tremendous thing to see."

Some of the survivors, along withtheir families,remain in the community asthey recover from their injuries.

'Give strength'

Moses Martin, a Tla-o-qui-aht First Nationselder,sang at the ceremony.

"When Ising the song Icomposed years ago it's mainly asking our creator and mother to be close to peoples'hearts today and also to give them the strength they need to deal with the pain," he said.

The search continues for the missing victim in the tragedy, AustralianRaveshan Pillay, whose mother attended the vigil.

The Transportation Safety Board continues to look into what caused the incident.

Investigatorsare inspecting the vessel,including electronics on board and any modifications that may have been made that could have affected its stability.

On Friday, Jamie's Whaling Station thanked all the people who helped in the tragedy, saying "the road to healing will be a long one."