The 410-foot-long ferry Queen of the North sank March 23, 75 minutes after hitting rocks near the shoreline of Gil Island in British Columbia. Ninety-nine passengers and crew were left adrift in lifeboats and life rafts. Two passengers are missing and feared dead. The passenger-vehicle ferry had departed Prince Rupert, B.C., at 2000 on March 22 for the regular 280-mile voyage down the Inside Passage bound for Port Hardy, B.C. As Queen of the North approached the southern end of Greenville Channel and passed Sainty Point, the normal procedure was to radio its location. Authorities have confirmed that did occur.
展开▼
