Four people have been rescued from the water about 18 kilometres southwest of the Vancouver International Airport by the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) in Victoria.

The rescue service says that a civilian vessel contacted the JRCC, telling them that multiple people were seen floating in the water “without personal flotation devices.”

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Crews, including the Canadian Coast Guard and the Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue team, responded to the scene at 11:45 a.m., arriving at open waters with a helicopter, a search and rescue aircraft, a hovercraft, and a lifeboat.

“As of 1:15 p.m. local time, four persons have been taken to Sea Island Coast Guard Station and transferred to emergency health services,” Capt. Pedram Mohyeddin, public affairs officer with the Canadian Armed Forces, told 1130 NewsRadio in a written statement.

He adds that crews are continuing the search for another six people who are still believed to be in the waters.