A group of Canadian tourists shipwrecked in the Galapagos Islands Wednesday is due back in Canada starting this weekend.
A spokesman for tour operator Quasar Expeditions said all but two of the 16 Canadian tourists aboard a yacht that ran aground while entering the harbour at Puerto Ayora are scheduled to leave Ecuador on Saturday.
While some of the Canadians reside in the U.K., Fernando Diez said most of them are due to arrive in Toronto on Sunday. Two others will be delayed a day as they secure new passports, he said, noting their documentation could not be reached aboard the ship which remains stuck on a reef.
Officials are still trying to piece together the cause of the incident, but it appears a malfunctioning lighthouse is at least partly to blame.
According to an incident report posted on the Adventure Travel News website, the M/S Alta yacht struck a reef around 8:30 p.m. local time while entering a harbour on the southern coast of Santa Cruz Island. "Reports indicate that the lighthouse that serves as a reference point to the harbour entrance was not working, which is believed to have been the primary contributor to the incident," the report said.
The 16 Canadians and eight Ecuadorean crew members suffered no injuries and were put up at a waterfront hotel in Santa Cruz.
Galapagos National Park vessels, the Ecuadorean navy and Alta crew members assisted with the evacuation.
Diez said the incident aboard the 42-metre schooner did not change Thursday's schedule of activities. The tourists proceeded to Charles Darwin Station and the Santa Cruz highlands to view tortoises in the wild.
Scheduled to depart Saturday, Diez said the group decided to cut the tour a half-day short and left Friday afternoon for Guayaquil where they will catch their flight home.
Efforts are now underway to remove the yacht from the reef.
"Fuel is being removed and containment measures are in place to mitigate any leaks should they occur, but none have been reported to date," the incident reported stated.
Canada's Department of Foreign Affairs said it's aware of the incident and that consular officials in Ecuador are providing assistance.
The Galapagos Islands are about 1,000 kilometres off the coast of Ecuador.
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