Names released of four Britons among five killed in whale-watching tragedy

A few 24 passengers and three crew had been on board the stricken vessel when it became partly submerged.

Do you know any of those who were on board?

A 27-year old Australian man is still missing.

Matt Brown, regional coroner for the Island Region of the British Columbia Coroners Service, confirmed their identities last night.

This is the second deadly incident involving a boat owned by Jamie's Whaling Station since 1998.

A preliminary investigation into Sunday's sinking of the 20-metre, double storey MV Leviathan II points to a wave hitting the vessel.

Five people died, 21 were rescued and one person remains missing. Ocean conditions were calm at the time.

It also said there had been a lack of effective communication equipment and no emergency communication equipment, which meant there was a delay in the search and rescue response.

She said the vessel was last inspected March 6, 2015.

Fisherman said they thought the speed at which the vessel listed may have been due to the amount of people on the high decks making it "top heavy". The full investigation is expected to take months. The passengers were taking part in a whale watching cruise, which is very popular tourist activity that brings thousands to the area every year. The other two crew have five years and three years' experience. It has operated for 20 years with a flawless safety record. This is something just totally out of the blue.

"This would have raised the centre of gravity, affecting its stability", said Marc Andre Poisson, TSB director of marine investigations.

'They got swamped by a wave.

"It appears the incident happened so quickly that the crew didn't have an opportunity to send out a mayday".

In 1998 one of its vessels capsized during an excursion, killing the operator and a passenger. He rescued two women clinging to each other in the water, one of whom was pregnant and the other had a broken leg.

A few ten people managed to scramble on board an inflatable raft, where one person launched an emergency flare, alerting local fishermen.

Five people died and another person is missing after the 20-metre Leviathan II went down near Tofino Sunday afternoon. "In the meantime, we want to extend our most honest thank you to the first responders, rescue personnel, and everyone from Tofino and the local First Nations communities who assisted with the response efforts".

Brown said he found two women sharing a life jacket as they floated and held on to each other. "On smaller open boats they are", he said. "She went under 'cause I couldn't grab her".

Two years earlier, an employee suffered severe head injuries after falling asleep and crashing into a nearby island while enroute to pick up passengers.

The British consul general in Vancouver, Rupert Potter, called the accident "a serious tragedy" and said he would be travelling to Tofino to help any affected families.

A statement released by the company said: "It is with great sadness that we have learnt of the tragic death of Nigel Hooker who worked at Airbus Defence and Space in Portsmouth".

The social media accounts of Mr Pillay's family, who are originally from South Africa, have been inundated with "thoughts and prayers" from extended family and friends who have grown concerned for the "beautiful" 27-year-old's welfare.

"His work was exhibited regularly in school and even bought at our annual art show which he and his family have continued to attend and support since Stephen left us in 2013".