The B.C. Coroners Office and the marine office of the Transportation Safety Board of Canada have been called in after a boat was engulfed in flames near Ladysmith on Saturday.
A woman who was living on the vessel, moored in the waters in front of Ladysmith, is missing. RCMP have previously said that the woman, who was in her 60s, was unable to escape the blaze.
Members of the RCMP’s underwater recovery team were present Saturday and Sunday but not on Monday.
Police forensic experts have been going through what was left of the boat, which was towed to shore on Saturday.
The woman’s male partner was rescued by a boater who took his skiff to the burning boat. The man was taken to hospital with injuries not believed to be life-threatening.
Nearby residents spotted the fire, reporting it to police shortly after 5 a.m. The boat was burned to the waterline.
A man who had met the couple said the woman was very caring toward her husband.
The Chris Craft motor yacht, about 50 feet long, had previously been in Vancouver. It was in poor condition and arrived in Ladysmith a few weeks ago, he said.
