B.C. approves new ferries

The British Columbia government in Canada has approved funding for three replacement ferries on its north coast routes. This announcement was made on the same day Premier Gordon Campbell flew up to the site of the first-ever sinking of a BC Ferry. The ?Queen of the North? sank after apparently hitting a rock at in the early hours of 22 March. Although most passengers and crew were safely evacuated to lifeboats and picked up within two hours by a Canadian Coast Guard vessel patrolling in the area, there are reports that two passengers are missing. The incident took place in Wright Sound, after an 8 p.m. departure from Prince Rupert on the 274 km trip down the Inside Passage to Port Hardy.