A Microsoft UK manager, David Thomas, and his 18 year old son died on October 26^th when a whale watching boat, the 65ft Leviathan II, capsized close to Vancouver Island. Three more victims were identified by the British Columbia Coroners Service, and a further 22 people were rescued.

Thomas, described by colleagues as a tech guru, had been working with Microsoft UK since 2011.

In a statement Michel Van der Bel, area vice-president and general manager at Microsoft UK, said, “Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with their family, friends and David’s colleagues and we will be doing everything we can to support them.”

The Down’s Syndrome Association UK also made a statement in support of the Microsoft employee saying was he was, “One of the driving forces behind the Swindon Down’s Syndrome Group, where he was a trustee.” Thomas’ son, Stephen, who also died in the accident, had Down’s Syndrome. It’s reported that the mother of Stephen escaped with minor injuries.

An investigation by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada is ongoing, and it’s not yet known what was the cause of the boat sinking.  Jamie’s Whaling Station, a tour company that ran the operation, said, “This vessel has operated for 20 years with an absolutely perfect safety record. This is something just totally out of the blue.” He also stated that on a large boat such as the Leviathan II passengers are not required to wear life jackets.

The boat sank around eight nautical miles from Tofino, a destination that is popular with whale watchers. One of the survivors was reported as saying that a wave had hit the boat and so there hadn’t been any time to call in a mayday.

A 27-year old Australian man is still missing.

Photo credit: whale at Tofino, Canada by Stephen Colebourne via Flickr