Workers fell into water while lowering rescue boat on Spirit of Vancouver Island

Just ahead of the long weekend, BC Ferries has been forced to cancel four sailings on its busiest route between Vancouver and Victoria. 

The sailings were cancelled after two workers fell into the water during a safety drill on the Spirit of Vancouver Island at the Swartz Bay terminal.

The BC Ferries employees were lowering a rescue boat into the water when something went wrong with the cable brake.

They fell about 15 metres to the water, and were taken to hospital with minor injuries.

Four sailings cancelled
The affected sailings include: 

7 a.m. departing Swartz Bay
9 a.m. departing Tsawwassen
11 a.m. departing Swartz Bay
1 p.m. departing Tsawwassen
Anyone with a reservation on the cancelled sailings will get an automatic refund and will be accommodated on the next available sailing, according to BC Ferries spokesperson Deborah Marshall.

As of 8:30 a.m. there was a two-sailing wait departing Tsawwassen for Swartz Bay, and a one-sailing wait from Swartz Bay to Tsawwassen.

Not the first time
This is the second time this summer that crew members have been injured during safety drills involving a rescue boat.

In April, two deckhands from the Queen of Cumberland fell into the water when a davit — the small crane that lowers rescue boats — failed.