A 66-year-old man who went missing on Monday remains unaccounted for, after his boat was found empty near Rainy Bay, where the Alberni Inlet opens up into Barkley Sound.
The disappearance was reported to police on Aug. 16 when the man didn’t return to a camp where he was staying in the remote location. He left the camp on his boat to get cellular service, according to the Port Alberni RCMP.
“[H]is boat was found adrift by his companions who placed 911 calls and a Mayday on the VHF radio,” stated an RCMP press release. “Their immediate search of the area did not locate him.”
The Canadian Coast Guard responded to the disappearance, as well as the Ucluelet RCMP and the RCMP‘s West Coast Marine Services. An RCMP media release about the disappearance went out Thursday afternoon.
The man has not been identified, although police say he has family ties to Port Alberni and an address in the Lower Mainland.
“The investigation is continuing from Port Alberni with support from West Coast Marine Services and the RCMP Underwater Recovery Team,” stated the media release.
