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Search continues for missing boaters off Tofino, but no trace found

Nothing had been found by late Sunday afternoon in the ongoing search for three men missing after a boat overturned Friday off Tofino.
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Three men went missing when their boat capsized near Tofino’s Duffin Cove on June 15.

Nothing had been found by late Sunday afternoon in the ongoing search for three men missing after a boat overturned Friday off Tofino.

One man was able to swim to shore and one was picked up by the coast guard after the early-morning incident, but steady searching since then has failed to turn up any trace of the other men, who are from the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation.

There have been hundreds of people involved in efforts to locate the men, which has included a search of the shoreline. Elmer Frank, who is leading the search-and-rescue operation for the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation, said widespread support for the search is continuing.

“We have 12 to 15 vessels still out on the water,” he said. “There’s still so much community support.

“We certainly appreciate all of the support that’s happening around us from the First Nations and also from the community of Tofino.”

Frank said an RCMP dive team was in the water with a more powerful sonar than had been used before. Stronger-than-normal currents and substantial tides were affecting the efficiency of other sonars, he said.

Divers were also sweeping search areas with cameras, Frank said.