Hope fades for missing pair on B.C. ferry as environmental fears grow

The two people missing from the sunken Queen of the North ferry are now feared to have died in the incident, says the head of BC Ferries.

"The big issue here is that they may still be on the ship," said CEO David Hahn. "There is a real possibility that they went down with the ship."

But Hahn said police have not given up their search for Shirley Rosette and Gerald Foisy of 100 Mile House, B.C.

A brother of the missing couple is adamant that they boarded the doomed ferry in Prince Rupert on Tuesday night.

• FROM MARCH 23, 2006: Investigators seek cause of ferry sinking

Officials are still investigating claims that the two passengers made their own way back to Prince Rupert, B.C., or stayed in the town of Hartley Bay.

But police have been unable to find them.

Environmental fears

There are also environmental fears associated with the tragedy. The Queen of the North had an estimated 220,000 litres of diesel fuel on board. It was also carrying 23,000 litres of lubrication oil.

The concern is that it will all eventually leak out.

Right now what has leaked out has spread over a large area, but booms are helping contain it and winds have helped keep it from reaching the shore.

Hahn said the ship is believed to have settled at a depth of about 425 metres.

Meanwhile, the search for the missing couple continues.

Mark Stefanson, a spokesman for BC Ferries, said a number of passengers reported they saw Rosette and Foisy talking to people in Hartley Bay, where those aboard the Queen of the North were taken after it sank.

The ferry company said the two were not among the 99 people on their way back to Prince Rupert, or with those who were airlifted to hospital Wednesday morning.

"We're trying to pin down where they are," Stefanson said, confirming that the two had been on the ferry.

Stefanson said the RCMP are trying to determine whether the two got a ride from a fisherman to Prince Rupert or decided to stay in Hartley Bay.

99 people on board

Earlier, the ferry's operator reported 99 passengers and crew members were rescued after the vessel hit a rock shortly before 1 a.m. PST (4 a.m. EST). The vessel reportedly began to list before it sank off Gil Island in Wright Sound.

Eleven people were flown by helicopter to hospital in Prince Rupert where they were treated for minor injuries.

• INDEPTH: Ferry accidents in B.C.: Timeline

Hahn wouldn't speculate on what caused the accident.

"I think something went catastrophically wrong," he said. "We'll have to dig through all the evidence. We don't want to draw any quick conclusions."

• INDEPTH: Search and Rescue

'All of a sudden all the lights went out'

Many passengers were asleep when the incident occurred about five hours into a 15-hour trip from Prince Rupert south to Port Hardy.

"We were in bed. I thought we were docking or something like that," said Jill Lawrence. "It didn't really seem like it was too much of a bump to me. The next thing you know, when I looked down, everything was all over the floor. Then we heard the alarm go, so we jumped out of bed and got out."

It took about an hour for the ferry to sink, giving passengers time to scramble into lifeboats in the rough waters, a coast guard spokeswoman said.

"All of a sudden, all the lights went out on the boat and somebody yelled and said, 'Somebody put a spotlight on it,'" said passenger Ryan MacDonald.

"And at that time, the nose of the boat was sticking straight up in the air and then it just went straight down and disappeared. It's something you'll never forget."

Fishing boats from nearby communities, a helicopter and several coast guard vessels responded to the distress call.

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Company rejects charge that ferry too big for area

About 80 men from Hartley Bay went out in their boats after someone picked up the ship's emergency call over the radio.

The 125-metre-long ship, which can hold up to 700 people and 115 cars, is one of the larger ferries in the provincially-owned company's fleet.

Hahn rejected the notion that the ferry may have been too large to navigate those particular waters.

"Not at all. Not even a remote chance. It's not that large compared to cruise ships. It's sailed [the area] many, many times over many, many years."

The company has suspended service on the route, and the Transportation Safety Board is investigating.