Canadian vacationers rescued

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Sept. 19 (UPI) -- More than 20 tourists had to be rescued when their floating wilderness lodge threatened to break loose during a storm on Canada's West Coast, officials said.

A British Columbia Ferries vessel swung into action when the word went out Sunday that the luxurious King Pacific Lodge near Princess Royal Island, about 320 miles north of Vancouver, had lost some of its moorings, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported. Winds up to 56 mph were forecast for the region.

British Columbia Ferries spokeswoman Deborah Marshall said the company's vessel Northern Adventure got a mayday call from the lodge during its morning run from Port Hardy to Prince Rupert.

"We turned our vessel around. We rerouted our ship," Marshall said. "It was about 35 minutes north of the site of the floating fishing lodge and we arrived on scene at about 11 a.m. and there were 22 guests on board the lodge and those guests as well as their luggage were transferred over to the Northern Adventure."

No one was injured and the guests were safely transported to Prince Rupert by 1:30 p.m. PDT, Marshall said.

Ten staff members were evacuated by boat to the village of Hartley Bay and the floating resort was re-secured without damage. It now is being shut down for the season.

The lodge charges $1,600 to $4,000 per person per night for its fishing and eco-tourism packages, the CBC said.