Two dead as small plane crashes north of Tofino on Vancouver Island

A small plane crashed on the West Coast of Vancouver Island Tuesday, north of the popular tourism destination of Tofino.

Two people are confirmed dead, according to a news release from Nootka Sound RCMP.

The plane was travelling from Haida Gwaii to Tofino and was initially believed to have four people on board. It went down in Tahsis Inlet, near Mizona Point.

The Joint Rescue Coordination Centre and the Coast Guard responded to the scene. Nootka Sound RCMP also responded by utilizing a police boat.

The Coast Guard, Joint Rescue Coordination Centre, and Nootka Sound Mounties aboard a police boat all responded to the scene. The Transportation Safety Board and BC Coroners Service are now investigating.

The tragedy comes as air transport remains the only reliable way to get in and out of Tofino amid a continuing highway closure due to the Cameron Bluffs Wildfire. The blaze has had the highway connecting Tofino to the rest of Vancouver Island, and ferries off the island, closed since early June.