Three fishermen died after their boat sank off the coast of La Tabatière in the Basse-Côte-Nord on Sunday night.
Published at 5:23 p.m. Updated at 6:16 p.m.
The Canadian Coast Guard confirmed Monday evening that it was notified at 2:39 a.m. that the fishing vessel Silver Condor sank about 20 nautical miles (37 km) off the coast. There were six people on board.
As many as six boats were deployed for the rescue operation, including a Ministry of Defense ship. According to the Sûreté du Québec (SQ), the passengers were transported to various hospital centers in Newfoundland and New Brunswick.
Police, who confirmed the death of three of them on Tuesday, opened an investigation since the tragic event occurred in Quebec’s territorial waters, but at the moment nothing seems to indicate that a criminal act could be the cause of the shipwreck. The results of this investigation are then forwarded to the coroner’s office.
The weather could be to blame, said a police spokesman, Hugues Beaulieu, explaining that the survivors of the shipwreck have not yet been met and that they can help solve the matter.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) and the Commission for Standards, Equity, Health and Safety at Work (CNESST) could also be asked to investigate the matter.