Death toll from B.C. fishing charter sinking rises as woman dies in hospital

RICHMOND — One of four people rescued after a fishing charter boat sank off Metro Vancouver has died in hospital, bringing the suspected death toll to seven.

Police identified the vessel as Top Ocean operated by Top Vancouver Fishing Charter, and said investigators continue to examine whether the operation of the vessel played a role in the sinking.

“As part of the ongoing investigation, police have obtained statements from survivors and witnesses, reviewed photographs and video evidence, gathered information related to the vessel and its operations,” RCMP in Richmond, B.C., said in a news release on Wednesday.

Mounties said the victims included residents of British Columbia, Toronto and Washington state.

They said the woman who died in hospital was a 28-year-old Chinese citizen who was living in Seattle, while six people remained missing and are feared drowned after the sinking near Roberts Bank on June 28.

Police said searchers, using an underwater drone, located the sunken vessel on Monday 153 metres below the surface but no bodies have been found.

Those missing were aged 22 to 33 and include a 31-year-old Chinese man from Seattle.

The mother and girlfriend of the boat’s captain, Chen Ming, who is among the missing, told The Canadian Press last week that her son had complained of a broken side door on the vessel.

Girlfriend Hailey Lee said she was on the boat with Chen two days before the sinking and there was a close call when the door sprang open and the boat filled with water.

“Investigators continue to identify and engage with additional individuals who may possess relevant information regarding previous voyages involving the vessel,” police said.

Relatives of all victims and missing persons have been contacted by police, and the three survivors have been released from hospital.

Police add that they are evaluating how best to recover the vessel, previously known as Big Coast, from the sea bed.

The operator of Top Vancouver Fishing Charter has been contacted by The Canadian Press but has repeatedly declined to comment.

In addition to the police investigation, the RCMP said the Transportation Safety Board was conducting its own probe into the sinking.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 8, 2026.

The Canadian Press