Plane crashes on the west coast of Vancouver Island: police, ambulance service

A small plane crashed on the west coast of Vancouver Island, according to first responders.

BC Emergency Health Services (BCEHS) said in an email to CBC News that it was made aware of a plane crash in Tahsis Inlet, a remote inlet about 300 kilometers northwest of Victoria, around 2:30 p.m. PT on Tuesday.

Air and ground ambulances picked up patients in Comox, on Vancouver Island’s east coast. They were taken from the scene of the accident by emergency workers from the Joint Rescue Coordination Center and the Canadian Armed Forces, BCEHS said.

Two people have been taken to hospital with injuries, BCEHS said, but did not provide further details.

Both RCMP and the Transportation Safety Board (TSB), the federal agency that investigates transportation accidents, have shared few details about the incident.

Mounties said Wednesday morning they were assisting in a plane crash in the area, but did not say when the crash occurred, who was involved or if there were any injuries.

However, RCMP said the BC Coroners Service is expected at the scene of the crash on Wednesday.

The small community of Tahsis lies at the head of the inlet.

Quest Kodiak 100 planes

The TSB says it has sent a team to the area.

In a brief release, it said it is deploying a team of investigators following an accident involving a Quest Kodiak 100 aircraft.

According to the manufacturer’s website, the aircraft can carry up to 10 people with one propeller.

The TSB is an independent agency that investigates air, sea, pipeline and rail transport, with the aim of improving transport safety.