VANCOUVER – A dramatic incident unfolded on Saturday in Vancouver’s Coal Harbour waterfront as a seaplane collided with a pleasure boat, causing injuries to several passengers on both vessels.

According to Vancouver Police spokeswoman Const. Tania Visintin, the collision occurred around 1 p.m. near Canada Place, leading to a swift response from the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Victoria. The Kitsilano Coast Guard station dispatched two vessels to the scene following reports of the plane-boat crash, as confirmed by Maritime Forces Pacific.

🚨#BREAKING: A Sea plane has crashed and collided into pleasure passenger boat as it was trying to take off multiple people have been injured

📌#Vancouver | #Canada

Earlier this afternoon around 1 PM in Vancouver, Canada, near Coal Harbour by Stanley Park, multiple emergency… pic.twitter.com/8R8TVbBTaD

— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) June 8, 2024

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Efforts were made to safely bring all occupants of the seaplane and boat to shore, although details regarding their conditions were not immediately disclosed. An unspecified number of individuals were reportedly transported to a nearby hospital for further evaluation and treatment.

Social media platforms were flooded with images and videos depicting a small plane partially submerged in the water, surrounded by a SeaBus and various other vessels in the vicinity.

Coal Harbour collision. pic.twitter.com/kLCma6njMJ

— Peter Kelly (@PeterKellyBC) June 8, 2024

Saw a sea plane crash in coal Harbour in Vancouver a bit ago… hoping everyone is ok @CBCNews @GlobalBC pic.twitter.com/WcIwZHwAb7

— josh 😎 (@joshhatesit) June 8, 2024

Notably, Coal Harbour serves as Vancouver’s bustling seaplane terminal, accommodating carriers such as Harbour Air and Seair Seaplanes. Harbour Air acknowledged that the seaplane involved in the collision was from their fleet and had collided with a boat during take-off.

Jessica Dunn, a spokeswoman for Harbour Air, assured that the pilot and all five passengers aboard the plane, which was on a scenic tour, emerged unscathed. She also confirmed the safety of all passengers on the boat, stating that they had been promptly attended to.

In a statement emphasizing safety as a top priority, Dunn expressed the company’s commitment to cooperating with authorities to ascertain further details about the incident and provide necessary support to those affected.

Chief Karen Fry of Vancouver Fire Rescue Services took to social media to confirm their presence at the scene of what was described as a “marine incident” in Coal Harbour.

Our @VanFireRescue and @VancouverPD are on scene at a marine incident in Coal Harbour.#breaking

— Karen Fry (@Karen_Fry) June 8, 2024

Tina Lovgreen, a spokesperson for TransLink, shared in another online post that the SeaBus captain witnessed the seaplane’s predicament and swiftly altered course to offer assistance, prepared to deploy a life raft if needed. Lovgreen noted that the SeaBus remained on standby until clearance was given by the Canadian Coast Guard before resuming its scheduled services.

Just spoke with the #SeaBus Captain of the Burrard Otter II, who says they saw the float plane in the water and quickly diverted to provide assistance, ready to deploy a life raft.

They stayed on scene until they were released by the Coast Guard, and returned back to the… https://t.co/SfmaOo2AaR

— Tina Lovgreen (@tinalovgreen) June 8, 2024

Currently, the Transportation Safety Board has assumed control of the investigation to determine the sequence of events leading up to the collision and ensure accountability for all parties involved.

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