Whale-watching boat carrying 27 people capsizes
A Sydney man is understood to be the only person missing from a whale watching boat that sank off the coast of British Columbia, Canada, with 27 people on board. 
The Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed it was providing consular assistance to the family of an Australian man after he was reported missing following the incident. DFAT would not give further comment for privacy reasons.
The man's family told AAP he was from Sydney, aged 27 and was travelling with his girlfriend. Her father was one of five British citizens confirmed dead, and the missing man's parents were attempting to arrange an emergency passport to travel to Canada, AAP reported.
Search and rescue efforts were suspended on Monday evening (local time) and would resume on Tuesday morning, Royal Canadian Mounted Police spokeswoman Janelle Shoinhet told Fairfax Media. "We remain hopeful however as time ticks on the chances of finding the passenger alive get slimmer," she said.
The British Columbia Coroners Service confirmed five people had died in the disaster, all of them British nationals. Three had been travelling from Britain and two were residents of Canada, spokeswoman Barbara McLintock said. The youngest was 18 and the oldest was 76.
Four passengers were taken to hospitals in British Columbia and were in a stable condition, the Island Health authority said on Monday. 
A statement from the Tofino branch of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police confirmed officers were continuing search efforts for "one outstanding passenger" who was aboard the vessel. "All other passengers have been accounted for at this time," the statement said.
The 20-metre Leviathan II whale watching boat sank at Plover Ridge near Vargas Island, off the coast of Vancouver Island, about 3pm local time on Sunday. Conditions were said to be calm at the time. Rescue efforts and investigations into the cause of the accident continue.
The boat was owned by Jamie's Whaling Station, which has been running whale-watching tours for 30 years. Owner Jamie Bray said it had been "a tragic day" and thanked rescue personnel for their work.
"Our entire team is heartbroken over this incident and our hearts go out to the families, friends and loved ones of everyone involved," he said. "We are doing everything we can to assist our passengers and staff through this difficult time."
Investigators from the Canadian Transportation Safety Board were expected to arrive in the Tofino region later on Monday, local time, The Globe and Mail reported. The district mayor, Josie Osborne, told the newspaper the mood was "very sombre" but the community response had been "nothing short of phenomenal".
Corene Inouye, director of operations for Jamie's Whaling Station, said in a statement that to the best of the company's knowledge, the boat had not sent a distress signal.
"From what we know at this stage, it appears the incident happened so quickly the crew didn't have an opportunity to send out a mayday," she said.
The sinking of the Leviathan II was so far one of the two worst marine accidents in Canada since 2004, The Globe and Mail reported.
Know more? michael.koziol@fairfaxmedia.com.au