Six Presumed Drowned in B.C. Charter Boat Disaster Mourned at Richmond Vigil
Shraddha Tripathy
7/7/20262 min read
About 100 mourners gathered at a public dock in Richmond, B.C., to remember six people missing and presumed drowned after a charter boat sank in the Strait of Georgia.
The vigil was held Sunday evening at Imperial Landing Docks in Steveston, about a week after the deadly sinking.
As the sun set, friends and relatives of the victims stood together in silence. Many hugged, cried and placed bouquets of white flowers at the dock, a symbol of mourning in Chinese culture.
Some mourners scattered white flower petals into the water in memory of those lost.
Young Captain Among Those Missing
Chen Ming, a 23-year-old from Richmond, has been identified as the captain of the boat and is among those believed to have drowned.
At the ceremony, his girlfriend, Hailey Lee, and his mother, Ashley Lin, scattered white flower petals into the sea.
Mourners remembered Ming as a caring person and a good friend.
Bob Zhang, who said he used to work with Ming at T&T Supermarket, said the two shared hobbies including fishing and playing video games.
Zhang said he had been on the same boat in late May and knew of a broken side door. Lee said last week that the door had opened during an incident two days before the June 28 sinking, allowing water to flood into the vessel.
Zhang said when he first heard about the disaster, he hoped it did not involve his friend. He said accepting the reality has been painful.
Boat Sank With 10 People Aboard
Lin said last week that the boat was operated by a charter company known as Top Fishing.
The vessel sank in deep water with 10 people on board.
Four people were rescued while suffering from hypothermia. RCMP said no one on the boat was wearing a life jacket.
The six others remain missing and are feared drowned.
Community Members Offer Support
Conservative MP Chak Au attended the vigil and said he first learned about the sinking from his son, who is a member of Richmond’s search and rescue team and took part in the search operation.
Au said the tragedy deeply affected his family.
He said he plans to donate $5,000 to Chen’s family.
The vigil offered friends, relatives and community members a place to grieve together as families continue waiting for answers about the disaster.
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