BC Ferries' 409-foot "Queen of the North," which operates "a cruise-type experience" along the Inside Passage route from Prince Rupert, B.C., to Port Hardy (northern Vancouver Island), hit a rock just after midnight on Wednesday and sank. According to the Canadian federal Transportation Safety Board, the ferry had strayed outside the shipping lanes. Two Canadian passengers were still reported missing as of Friday. The remaining 99 were evacuated from the vessel and transported by local fishermen and Canadian coast guard to Hartley Bay. The ferry, part of the province's 35-vessel marine transport fleet, left Prince Rupert late Tuesday for the overnight runs to Vancouver Island.
