TWILLINGATE, N.L. — Funeral plans and a trust fund were announced Tuesday as local fishermen searched for the fourth victim of a boating tragedy off Newfoundland that killed two young brothers and another man.
The official search was called off Monday night but a number of small fishing boats continued to scour the northeastern coastal waters around Twillingate.
They were looking for a man believed to be in his 40s whose name is withheld at his family’s request. He had travelled from the Northwest Territories back to Twillingate, the fishing town where he grew up, for a vacation.
“That will probably go on for another day or two,” Mayor Gord Noseworthy said in an interview.
“The hope of finding him alive is zero. For some foolish reason or another he must be on the bottom. The boat could have him held down. We’ll never know what happened.”
The disaster is now considered a missing person case and the Canadian Coast Guard has handed it over to the RCMP.
All four victims were from Twillingate, a town of 2,500 now mourning as it tries to carry on with its popular Fish, Fun and Folk Festival. The annual event, which draws tourists from around the world, was supposed to kick off with a concert and fireworks Monday night.
Instead, more than 1,000 people stood holding candles at an emotional vigil on the wharf.
“The families were there,” Noseworthy said. “This is their first touch with the public since this happened.
“It’s almost like therapy,” he said of condolence calls that have come in from across the country.
A public funeral will be held Thursday at 2:30 p.m. local time for brothers James and Josh Guy, aged 12 and 10, at the Central United Church in Twillingate, Noseworthy said.
Another funeral is planned for Paul Froude, believed to be in his 40s, on 2:30 p.m. Friday at the Salvation Army Citadel in Twillingate, the mayor said.
Froude and the missing man were friends of the boys’ families.
Noseworthy said a trust fund for the three bereaved families has been set up as the Twillingate Boat Disaster Fund. Donations can be made at any Bank of Nova Scotia branch in the province, he said.
The bodies of the young brothers and Froude were recovered Sunday from the frigid waters near the scenic coastline.
Premier Danny Williams offered condolences Tuesday in a statement, saying he can’t imagine the families’ “unbearable grief and sorrow.”
“Unfortunately, as a seafaring people, we are not immune to the loss of life on the water. And with such tragedy comes a tremendous sense of sadness and questions. In particular, to have such young lives cut short too early is something that is incredibly difficult to accept.”
The boys joined the men Saturday on what was supposed to be a leisure ride to test a 70-horsepower motor in a four-metre open boat.
Noseworthy said the inseparable brothers loved to hang around the town wharf and had asked their mother if they could go.
They both wore life-jackets as they headed out with the men about 3:30 p.m. Saturday.
Local officials say a beautiful, calm day on the water suddenly turned rough just outside the harbour, raising up three-metre swells.
As the community continues to grieve, Noseworthy said he is heartened by the support that has come from near and far. A counsellor from Vancouver is flying in to offer free help to the families, while divers from St. John’s have volunteered to search the area, depending on the depths involved, he said.