BC Ferry Sinks

The "Queen of the North" sank after hitting a rock around 1 A.M. Pacific Standard Time, about 84 miles south of Prince Rupert. The crew and the ferry's ninety-nine passengers all survived.

The vessel reportedly began to tip to one side before it sank off Gil Island in Wright Sound. The ship is completely submerged, said the Search and Rescue Center in Victoria.

B.C. Ferries President David Hahn confirmed that all passengers are safe and sound. He wouldn't speculate on what caused the accident.

"I think something went catastrophically wrong," he said. "We'll have to dig through all the evidence. We don't want to draw any quick conclusions."

Rescue ships carried survivors to Hartley Bay, an isolated community of about 200 people south of Prince Rupert.

Many passengers were asleep when the incident occurred, about five hours into a 15-hour trip from Prince Rupert south to Port Hardy.