Australian Rav Pillay still missing in Canadian boat tragedy

THE girlfriend of an Australian man still missing in the Canadian whale watching boat tragedy tried desperately to save him.

Girlfriend tried to save Aussie in tragedy

THE girlfriend of an Australian man still missing in the Canadian boat tragedy tried desperately to save him by keeping him afloat before he slipped through her grasp.

Danielle Hooker, 28, was on board the MV Leviathan II with her boyfriend, Sydneysider Rav Pillay, 27, her father Nigel and sister Aimee when it capsized near Vancouver Island on Sunday.

The group were among 27 people, including three crew, on board the vessel, which had gone out whale watching that morning.

Five people drowned, including Ms Hooker’s father, Nigel.

Mr Pillay remains the only person unaccounted for.

Ms Hooker, who is originally from England, told The Times she desperately tried keep Mr Pillay, who had been knocked unconscious, afloat by clinging onto him for as long as she could.

Sadly, she was unable to keep hold and watched him slip from her grasp.

It remains unclear exactly why the boat went down but a survivor said it was hit by a freak wave, which sunk the boat in minutes. There were also suggestions it may have hit rocks after diverting to watch sea lions. The passengers were not wearing life jackets as it is not a legal requirement.

The bow of the Leviathan II, which capsized on Sunday. Picture: Chad Hipolito/The Canadian Press via AP

Over the past week Mr Pillay’s family and friends have been posting messages of hope on social media, Fairfax reported.

“Praying for my friend Rav who is reportedly the only outstanding missing person from this tragic accident that took place in BC yesterday. He was on vacation from Australia,” one woman posted on Facebook.

Another wrote: “Please pray for my cousin’s Rav Pillay safe return to his family. May the good lord help the Pillay family through this difficult time.”

Among those who died on the boat tragedy were a father and son, David Thomas, 50, and his son Stephen, 18, who had Down’s syndrome, and British expats Jack Slater, 76, a former Royal Navy engineer, originally of Salford, and Katie Taylor, 29, of Lichfield, who was working in a spa in Whistler, Canada.

Mr Hooker, 63, was an IT expert from Southampton.

It is believed all five victims were on the upper deck.

Tributes for those that died after the Leviathan II whale-watching boat capsized in Tofino, British Columbia, on October 26. Picture: Reuters/Kevin Light

Local fisherman Clarence Smith said one survivor told him a huge wave capsized the boat. “That’s why there weren’t any radio communications, no Mayday,” he said.

The crew was able to shoot a flare, which attracted fishermen who went to help. A pregnant woman and one with a broken leg were among the survivors.

Mr Smith said he and a friend saw people in life rafts in the water and on rocks, and were able to pick up 12 survivors.

“We went to get the people in the water first, three of them,” he said. “One guy was clinging onto the boat. And then I heard these voices in the water — two ladies clinging to each other about 100 feet away. So we went and picked them up.”

Safety experts will examine the wreckage, the vessel’s maintenance history and the weather in an investigation which could take months.

The boat run by tour company Jamie’s Whaling Station was 34 years old and had been rebuilt in 1996, records show.

Owner Jamie Bray said people were “traumatised” and in “disbelief” at what had happened.